Consistency and source specificity of symptom ratings for Child and Adolescent Behavior Inventory Scales with mother, father, and teacher ratings of Spanish children.

Abstract

[eng] The study determined consistency relative to a reference source (convergent validity for nonreference sources with a reference source) and specificity for nonreference sources in true score variance in Child and Adolescent Behavior Inventory (CABI) ADHD-inattentive (IN), ADHD-hyperactive/impulsive (HI), sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), limited prosocial emotions (LPE), depression, anxiety, academic impairment, and social impairment scale scores. A multiple indicator by single trait by correlated (methods-1) model with indicator-specific trait factors was used to evaluate CABI scale scores with mother, father, and teacher ratings of 2,142 Spanish children (49.49% girls; ages 8-13). Mother ratings served as the reference source with father and teacher ratings serving as nonreference sources. Father with mother ratings showed substantial convergent correlations for each CABI scale (.73 to .90). Teacher with mother ratings showed a substantial convergent correlation for academic impairment (.72), strong convergent correlations for ADHD-IN (.57), ADHD-HI (.46), SCT (.52), and depression (.46), and small-to-moderate convergent correlations for ODD (.33), LPE (.24), and anxiety (.22) scales. Source independent and context-specific measures with appropriate content validity for home and school settings are required to better understand the greater variability in consistency from teacher to mother ratings. These results provide new information for the use of the CABI with multiple sources. In addition, the study indicates how a multiple indicator by single trait by correlated (methods-1) model with indicator-specific trait factors can be used to better understand multiple source ratings of child and adolescent psychopathology and adjustment.