Citation

Kassam-Adams N, Garcia-Espana JF, Miller VA, Winston FK. J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry 2006; 45(12): 1485-1493.

Affiliation

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. nlkaphd@mail.med.upenn.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, Publisher Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/01.chi.0000237703.97518.12

PMID

17135994

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: We examined parent-child agreement regarding child acute stress disorder (ASD) and the relationship between parent ASD symptoms and parent ratings of child ASD. METHOD: Parent-child dyads (N = 219; child age 8-17 years) were assessed within 1 month of child injury. Parent-child agreement was examined regarding child ASD presence, severity, and specific symptoms. Relationships among parent ASD and parent- and child-reported child ASD were examined using regression analysis and generalized estimating equations (GEE). RESULTS: Parent-child agreement was low for presence of child ASD (kappa = 0.22) and for individual symptoms. Parent and child ratings of child ASD severity were moderately correlated (r = 0.35). Parent ASD was independently associated with parent-rated child ASD, after accounting for child self-rating (beta =.65). Generalized estimating equations indicated that parents with ASD overestimated child ASD and parents without ASD underestimated child ASD, compared to the child's self-rating. CONCLUSIONS: Parents' own responses to a potentially traumatic event appear to influence their assessment of child symptoms. Clinicians should obtain child self-report of ASD whenever possible and take parent symptoms into account when interpreting parent reports. Helping parents to assess a child's needs following a potentially traumatic event may be a relevant target for clinical attention.

Language: en