Open AccessParent–child agreement and prevalence estimates of diagnoses in childhood: Direct interview versus family history method
Author(s) -
Rothen Stéphane,
Vandeleur Caroline L.,
Lustenberger Yodok,
Jeanprêtre Nicolas,
Ayer Eve,
Gamma Franziska,
Halfon Olivier,
Fornerod Daniel,
Ferrero François,
Preisig Martin
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
international journal of methods in psychiatric research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.275
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1557-0657
pISSN - 1049-8931
DOI - 10.1002/mpr.281
Subject(s) - schedule for affective disorders and schizophrenia , offspring , conduct disorder , anxiety , attention deficit hyperactivity disorder , psychology , psychiatry , family history , separation anxiety disorder , mini international neuropsychiatric interview , clinical psychology , research diagnostic criteria , medical diagnosis , schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , medicine , anxiety disorder , pregnancy , radiology , biology , genetics , pathology
Diagnostic information on children is typically elicited from both children and their parents. The aims of the present paper were to: (1) compare prevalence estimates according to maternal reports, paternal reports and direct interviews of children [major depressive disorder (MDD), anxiety and attention‐deficit and disruptive behavioural disorders]; (2) assess mother–child, father–child and inter‐parental agreement for these disorders; (3) determine the association between several child, parent and familial characteristics and the degree of diagnostic agreement or the likelihood of parental reporting; (4) determine the predictive validity of diagnostic information provided by parents and children. Analyses were based on 235 mother–offspring, 189 father–offspring and 128 mother–father pairs. Diagnostic assessment included the Kiddie‐schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K‐SADS) (offspring) and the Diagnostic Interview for Genetic Studies (DIGS) (parents and offspring at follow‐up) interviews. Parental reports were collected using the Family History – Research Diagnostic Criteria (FH‐RDC). Analyses revealed: (1) prevalence estimates for internalizing disorders were generally lower according to parental information than according to the K‐SADS; (2) mother–child and father–child agreement was poor and within similar ranges; (3) parents with a history of MDD or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) reported these disorders in their children more frequently; (4) in a sub‐sample followed‐up into adulthood, diagnoses of MDD, separation anxiety and conduct disorder at baseline concurred with the corresponding lifetime diagnosis at age 19 according to the child rather than according to the parents. In conclusion, our findings support large discrepancies of diagnostic information provided by parents and children with generally lower reporting of internalizing disorders by parents, and differential reporting of depression and ADHD by parental disease status. Follow‐up data also supports the validity of information provided by adolescent offspring. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.