Abstract ▼ AI-Helper

Introduction: The necessity of multiple informants in diagnostic evaluation of children and adolescents is repeatedly stressed in child psychiatric clinical work and research. When discrepancies are considerable between parents’ and adolescents’ reports on externalizing and internalizing symptoms of...

Introduction: The necessity of multiple informants in diagnostic evaluation of children and adolescents is repeatedly stressed in child psychiatric clinical work and research. When discrepancies are considerable between parents’ and adolescents’ reports on externalizing and internalizing symptoms of adolescents, it is important to consider how to interpret these discrepancies. Objective: This study was conducted to facilitate understanding of disagreement between parents’ and adolescents’ reports on mental symptoms of adolescents. The purpose of this study was to examine how adolescents’ psychopathology influence parents’ account of the mental problems of their adolescents compared to what the adolescents themselves report. Method: 876 high school students in Masan city participated in Adolescent mental health and problem behavior screening test(AMPQ). Among the students who were tested, selected eighty five adolescents(whose scores were above the cut-point) and their parents completed the questionnaire Korean-youth self report(K-YSR), Korean-child/adolescent behavior check list(K-CBCL) and symptom check list-90-revised(SCL-90-R). Results: Depression and somatization in adolescence emerged as a significant variables predicting K-YSR-K-CBCL discrepancy on internalizing symptoms, explaining 36% of the variance. With increased levels of depression and decreased levels of somatization, adolescents tended to report more internalizing problems compared to their parents. For the discrepancy on externalizing problems, obsessive compulsive symptoms were the most significant variable. When obsessive compulsive symptoms in adolescents was increased, there were more disagreement in reports of parent’ and adolescents’. Conclusions: The psychopathologies in adolescents such as depression, somatization and obsessive compulsive symptom may be useful to consider when interpreting informant discrepancy concerning the mental problems of adolescents.

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