Examination, Prediction, and Outcomes of Informant Discrepancies in Behavioral Ratings of Children Using a Latent Multitrait-Multimethod Model

Abstract

The use of multiple informants’ reports (e.g., mothers, fathers, and teachers) for behavior rating scales (BRS) is common in the psychological assessment of children. Despite widespread use of BRS, discrepancies between informants’ ratings are common. The current research was designed to investigate informant discrepancies using a sample of children from the NICHD SECCYD (n = 784). Mother, father, and teacher ratings on the CBCL and TRF (Achenbach, 1991) in first, third, and fifth grades were used. Informant discrepancies were modeled as latent mean differences between informants’ ratings of aggression, inattention, and anxiety/depression, using a Method Effect with Reference model (Pohl, Steyer, & Kraus, 2008). Several variables were included in models to as predictors of the informant discrepancies, including demographic, intrapersonal, and contextual variables. Discrepancies were also modeled to predict school and diagnostic outcomes. Analysis of latent mean differences showed teachers’ ratings of all behaviors were consistently lower than mothers’ ratings; fathers’ ratings relative to mothers’ were dependent on both the type of behavior and the assessment period. Mother-teacher discrepancies were generally larger than mother-father discrepancies. Discrepancies were smaller as levels of behavior increased, particularly for the mother-father dyad. Of the predictor variables, maternal self-reported anger, anxiety, and depression resulted in smaller informant discrepancies in the mother-father dyad; ratings of boys and African Americans resulted in larger discrepancies the mother-teacher dyad, specifically for aggression and inattention. Larger mother-teacher discrepancies were predictive of children’s outcomes, including increased referral for special school services and behavioral diagnoses. Finally, some support for the relative longitudinal consistency of discrepancies was found, but dependent on behavior and informant.