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Agreement and discrepancy between mother and child in the evaluation of children’s anxiety symptoms and anxiety life interference

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Abstract

This study explored the agreement and discrepancy between mother and child reports of children’s anxiety symptoms and anxiety life interference. A large community sample of 1,065 Portuguese children aged between 7 and 14 years and their mothers completed a DSM-based anxiety symptoms scale. For a subsample of 135 children with an anxiety disorder, additional data on children’s anxiety life interference and maternal anxiety and depression symptoms were collected. The results showed that children generally reported higher levels of anxiety symptoms than their mothers. Overall, most correlations between mother and child reports of anxiety symptoms were significant but in the low to moderate range, with the strongest associations for symptoms of specific phobias and school phobia. In the subsample of children with an anxiety disorder, mothers reported higher levels of anxiety life interference than children, and the correlation between mother and child reports of anxiety life interference was significant but again modest in magnitude. Lastly, maternal anxiety was positively associated with the discrepancy between mother and child reports of anxiety symptoms. Together, the results of this study further underline the importance of a multi-informant approach in the evaluation of children’s anxiety problems.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by two grants from Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (PTDC/PSI-PCL/122007/2010; SFRH/BPD/63960/2009). The authors thank all of the schools, families, and children for participating in this study and making it possible.

Conflict of interest

On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculdade de Psicologia da Universidade de Lisboa, Alameda da Universidade, 1649-013, Lisbon, Portugal

    Ana Isabel Pereira, Luisa Barros, Rita Goes, Teresa Marques & Vanessa Russo

  2. Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands

    Peter Muris

Authors
  1. Ana Isabel Pereira
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  2. Peter Muris
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  3. Luisa Barros
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  4. Rita Goes
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  5. Teresa Marques
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  6. Vanessa Russo
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Correspondence to Ana Isabel Pereira.

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Pereira, A.I., Muris, P., Barros, L. et al. Agreement and discrepancy between mother and child in the evaluation of children’s anxiety symptoms and anxiety life interference. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 24, 327–337 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-014-0583-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-014-0583-2

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