Skip to main content
Log in

Agreement Between Parent and Teacher Ratings of Disruptive Behavior Disorders in Children with Clinically Diagnosed ADHD

  • Published:
Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study investigated the agreement between parent and teacher ratings of DSM-IV symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and related disorders: Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) and Conduct Disorder (CD). A sample of 55 children in the age range of 6–12 years with clinically diagnosed ADHD participated in the study. Parents and teachers were asked to complete the Disruptive Behavior Disorder Rating Scale (DBDRS; W. E., Pelham, E. M., Gnagy, K. E., Greenslade, & R. Milich, 1992). No association was found between parent and teacher ratings of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity. However, moderate to high levels of agreement were obtained for ratings of symptoms that characterized ODD and CD. The observed low levels of agreement between parent and teacher ratings of ADHD symptoms may be attributed to different perceptions of the problem behavior by parents and teachers, medication effects, or the situation specificity of children's behavior. It is recommended that the diagnostic criterion of symptom pervasiveness for the diagnosis of ADHD be operationalized more clearly.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  • Achenbach, T. M., McConaughy, S. H., &; Howell, C. T. (1987). Child/adolescent behavioural and emotional problems: Implications of cross-informant correlations for situational specificity. Psychological Bulletin, 101, 213–232.

    Google Scholar 

  • American Psychiatric Association. (1987). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (3th ed., rev.). Washington DC: Author.

  • American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

  • August, G. J., Realmuto, G. M., MacDonald, III, A.W., Nugent, S. M., &; Crosby, R. (1996). Prevalence of ADHD and comorbid disorders among elementary school children screened for disruptive behavior. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 24, 571–595.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barkley, R. A. (1998). Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A handbook for diagnosis and treatment (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bartko, J. J., &; Carpenter, W. T. (1976). On the methods and theory of reliability. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 163, 307–317.

    Google Scholar 

  • Biederman, J., Faraone, S. V., Milberger, S., &; Doyle, A. (1993). Diagnoses of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder from parent reports predict diagnoses based on teacher reports. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 32, 315–317.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buchoff, R. (1990). Attention deficit disorder: Help for the classroom teacher. Childhood Education, 67, 86–90.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cantwell, D. P., Lewinsohn, P. M., Rhode, P., &; Seeley, J. R. (1997). Correspondence between adolescent report and parent report of psychiatric diagnostic data. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 36, 610–619.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, M., Becker, M. G., &; Campbell, R. (1990). Relationships among four methods of assessment of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Journal of School Psychology, 28, 189–202.

    Google Scholar 

  • Conners, C. K. (1969). A teacher rating scale for use in drug studies with children. American Journal of Psychiatry, 126, 152–156.

    Google Scholar 

  • Edelbrock, C., &; Rancurello, M. D. (1985). Childhood hyperactivity: An overviewof rating scales and their applications. Clinical Psychology Review, 5, 429–445.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eliez, S., &; Reiss, A. L. (2000). MRI neuroimaging of childhood psychiatric disorders: A selective review. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, 41, 679–694.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fischer, M., &; Newby, R. F. (1991). Assessment of stimulant response in ADHD children using a refined multimethod clinical protocol. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 20, 232–244.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gaub, M., &; Carlson, C. L. (1997). Gender differences in ADHD: A meta-analysis and critical review. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 36, 1036–1045.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goyette, C. H., Conners, C. K., &; Ulrich, R. F. (1978). Normative data on revised Conners Parent and Teachers Rating Scales. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 6, 221–236.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hartmann, D. P. (1977). Considerations in the choice of interobserver reliability estimates. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 10, 103–116.

    Google Scholar 

  • Herjanic, B., &; Reich, W. (1982). Development of a structured psychiatric interview for children: Agreement between child and parent on individual symptoms. Journal of the Abnormal Child Psychology, 10, 307–324.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jerome, L., Gordon, M., &; Hustler, P. (1994). Acomparison of American and Canadian teachers' knowledge and attitudes towards Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 39, 536–567.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, S. W., Elliott, J., &; Barbour, D. (1994). A comparison of crossinformant behavior ratings in school-based diagnosis. Behavioral Disorders, 19, 87–97.

    Google Scholar 

  • Loeber, R., Green, S. M., &; Lahey, B. B. (1990). Mental health professionals' perception of the utility of children, mothers, and teachers as informants on childhood psychopathology. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 19, 136–143.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitsis, E. M., McKay, K. E., Schulz, K. P., Newcorn, J. H., &; Halperin, J. M. (2000). Parent-teacher concordance for DSM-IV Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in a clinic-referred sample. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 39, 308–313.

    Google Scholar 

  • Molina, B. S. G., Pelham, W. E., Blumenthal, J., &; Galiszewski, E. (1998). Agreement among teachers' behaviour ratings of adolescents with a childhood history of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 27,330–339.

    Google Scholar 

  • Offord, D. R., Boyle, M. H., Racine, Y., Szatmari, P., Fleming, J. E., Sandford, M., et al. (1996). Integrating assessment data from multiple informants. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 35, 1078–1085.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oosterlaan, J., Logan, G. D., &; Sergeant, J. (1998). Response inhibition in AD/HD, CD, comorbid AD/HD+CD, anxious and control children: A meta-analysis of studies with the stop task. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 39, 411–425.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oosterlaan, J., Scheres, A., Antrop, I., Roeyers, H., &; Sergeant, J. A. (2000). Handleiding bij de Vragenlijst voor Gedragsproblemen bij Kinderen [Manual of the Rating Scale for Disruptive Behavior Disorders in Children-DBDRS].

  • Pelham, W. E., Gnagy, E. M., Greenslade, K. E., &; Milich, R. (1992). Teacher ratings of DSM-III-R symptoms for the disruptive behaviour disorder. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 31, 210–218.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pennington, B. F., &; Ozonoff, S. (1996). Executive functions and developmental psychopathology. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 37, 51–87.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pillow, D. R., Pelham, W. E., Hoza, B., Molina, B. S. G., &; Stultz, C. (1998). Confirmatory factor analyses examining attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms and other childhood disruptive behaviors. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 26, 293–309.

    Google Scholar 

  • Power, T. J., Doherty, B. J., Panichelli-Mindel, S. M., Karustis, J. L., Eiraldi, R. B., Anastopoulos, A. D., et al. (1998). The predictive validity of parent and teacher reports of ADHD symptoms. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 20, 57–81.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quay, H. C., &; Peterson, D. R. (1987). Manual for the Revised Behavior Problem Checklist. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reid, R., &; Maag, J. W. (1994). How many fidgets in a pretty much: A critique of behavior rating scales for identifying students with ADHD. Journal of School Psychology, 32, 339–354.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roeyers, H., Verhoeven, H., &; Antrop, I. (1997). Het kind met ADHD in het basisonderwijs: Een exploratief onderzoek naar de ervaringen van leerkrachten. [The child with ADHD in elementary school: The experiences of teachers]. Signaal, 21, 15–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spitzer, R. L., Cohen, J., Fleiss, J. L., &; Endicott, J. (1967). Quantification of agreement in psychiatric diagnosis. Archives of General Psychiatry, 17, 83–87.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sprague, R. L., Christensen, D. E., &; Werry, J. S. (1974). Experimental psychology and stimulant drugs. In C. K. Conners (Ed.), Clinical use of stimulant drugs in children (pp. 141–164). Amsterdam: Excerpta Medica.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, E., Sergeant, J., Doepfner, M., Gunning, B., Overmeyer, S., Moebius, H. J., et al. (1998). Clinical guidelines for hyperkinetic disorder. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 7, 184–200.

    Google Scholar 

  • World Health Organisation. (1992). International classification of disease (10th ed.). Geneva, Switzerland: Author.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Inge Antrop.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Antrop, I., Roeyers, H., Oosterlaan, J. et al. Agreement Between Parent and Teacher Ratings of Disruptive Behavior Disorders in Children with Clinically Diagnosed ADHD. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment 24, 67–73 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014057325752

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014057325752

Navigation