Abstract
This study examines agreement between parental reports of children's ADHD outpatient services ascertained with the Child and Adolescents Services Assessment (CASA) and provider records among a sample of elementary school students who participated in an epidemiologically based health services study. Parental reports of any outpatient mental health treatment, services intensity, and medication regimens were compared to records of the specified mental health and primary care providers using intraclass correlations and kappa estimates. Results indicated that parental reports using the CASA produced valid data on whether any outpatient ADHD services had been received in the past 12 months (83% agreement), and on details of the child's medication regimens (kappas above 0.90), but that agreement was poor on how many times the child had been seen (intraclass correlation 0.29), without agreement differences by provider type. These findings support the validity of using parental report for ADHD services in primary care settings and for study of medication regimens.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Barkley RA, Murphy KR.Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Handbook for Diagnosis and Treatment [and] A Clinical Workbook. 2nd ed. New York: Guilford Press; 1998.
National Institutes of Health.Diagnosis and Treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). NIH Consensus Statement. National Institutes of Health: Bethesda, Md; 1998:1–37.
Zito JM, Safer DJ, dosReis S, et al. Methylphenidate patterns among Medicaid youths.Psychopharmacological Bulletin. 1997;33(1):143–147.
Zito JM, Safer DJ, dosReis S, et al. Racial disparity in psychotropic medications prescribed for youths with Medicaid insurance in Maryland.Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 1998;37(2):179–184.
Bussing R. Barriers to help-seeking and treatment for ADHD. Paper presented at: 53rd Institute on Psychiatric Services; 2001; Orlando, Fla.
Bussing R, Zima BT, Perwien AR, et al. Children in special education programs: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and use of services.American Journal of Public Health. 1998;88(6):880–886.
Leaf PJ, Alegria M, Cohen P, et al. Mental health service use in the community and schools: results from the four-community MECA Study. Methods for the Epidemiology of Child and Adolescent Mental Disorders Study.Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 1996;35(7):889–897.
Burns BJ, Angold A, Magruder-Habib K, et al.The Child and Adolescent Services Assessment (CASA). Durham, NC: Duke Medical Center; 1992.
Hoagwood K, Stiffman AR, Rae D, et al. Concordance between parent reports of children's mental health services and service records: The Services Assessment for Children and Adolescents (SACA).Journal of Child and Family Studies, 2000;9(3):315–331.
Horwitz SM, Hoagwood K, Stiffman AR, et al. Reliability of the services assessment for children and adolescents.Psychiatric Services. 2001;52(8):1088–1094.
Stiffman AR, Horwitz SM, Hoagwood K, et al. The Service Assessment for Children and Adolescents (SACA): adult and child reports.Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2000;39(8):1032–1039.
Ascher BH, Farmer EMZ, Burns BJ, et al. The Child and Adolescent Services Assessment (CASA): description and psychometrics.Journal of Emotional & Behavioral Disorders. 1996;4(1):12–20.
Farmer E, Angold A, Burns B, et al. Reliability of self-reported service use: test-retest consistency of children's responses to the child and Adolescent Services Assessment (CASA).Journal of Child and Family Studies. 1994;3(3):307–325.
Bussing R, Zima BT, Gary FA, et al. Complimentary and alternative medicine use for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms.Psychiatric Services. In Press.
Hollingshead AB.Four Factor Index of Social Class. Department of Sociology, Yale University; 1975.
Shaffer D, Fisher P, Lucas CP, et al. NIMH Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children Version IV (NIMH DISC-IV): description, differences from previous versions, and reliability of some common diagnoses.Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2000;39(1):28–38.
Bean DL, Leibowitz A, Rotheram-Borus M, et al. False-negative reporting and mental health services utilization: parents' reports about child and adolescent services.Mental Health Services Research. 2000;2(3):239–248.
Chyba MM, Washington LR. Questionnaires from the National Health Interview Survey, 1985–1989.Vital and Health Statistics. 1993;1(31):131–138.
Fleiss J.Statistical Methods for Rates and Proportion. 2nd ed. New York: Wiley; 1981.
Bartko J. The intraclass correlation coefficient as a measure of reliability.Psychological Reports. 1966;19(1):3–11.
Streiner DL. Learning how to differ: agreement and reliability statistics in psychiatry.Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. 1995;40(2):60–66.
Fendrich M, Johnson T, Wislar JS, et al. Accuracy of parent mental health service reporting: results from a reverse record-check study.Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 1999;38(2):147–155.
Gross R, Bentur N, Elhayany A, et al. The validity of self-reports on chronic disease: characteristics of underreporters and implications for the planning of services.Public Health Reviews. 1996;24:167–182.
Aaronson LS, Burman ME. Use of health records in research: reliability and validity issues.Research in Nursing and Health. 1994;17(1):67–73.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bussing, R., Mason, D.M., Leon, C.E. et al. Agreement between CASA parent reports and provider records of children's ADHD Services. The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research 30, 462–469 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02287433
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02287433