Comparative Agreement, Stability and Validity of Parent- and Youth-Reports on CDI: Developmental Implications

This study examined changes in the agreement, stability, and validity of parent and self-reports of a commonly used measure of youth depression symptoms, the Children’s Depression Inventory, from childhood through adolescence. The study consists of 530 families (youth, mothers, and fathers) assessed at ages 9, 12, and 15. Agreement between youth and each parent on youth depression symptoms was modest but significant at age 9, while agreement between mothers and fathers was high. At age 12, agreement between youth and parents increased; agreement between parents was again high. At age 15, mother-youth and father-youth agreement did not change from age 12, but mother-youth agreement was higher than father-youth agreement. Agreement between parents remained high. Stability of youth-reported depression symptoms was low between ages 9 and 12 but high from ages 12 to 15. Parent-reported youth depression symptoms demonstrated greater stability than youth reports from 9 to 12 but similar stability to youth from 12 to 15. At age 9, parent-reported symptoms predicted concurrent and subsequent depressive diagnoses, however the youth reports did not. At age 12, parent-reported symptoms significantly independently predicted concurrent but not subsequent youth depressive diagnoses, whereas youth reports were independently associated with subsequent, but not concurrent, depressive diagnoses. At age 15, youth, but not parent, reports were independently associated with concurrent depressive disorder diagnoses. These findings indicate that although both informants can provide important insights into youth depression, parents’ reports should be more heavily weighted in childhood and youth reports should be given increasing credence in adolescence.