Children with depressive symptoms:A comparison between children scoring high on self-report and children scoring high on both self- and adult report

Abstract

This study assessed the difference between children who scored high only on self-report and children who scored high on both self-report and adult report. The assessment was made among 5544 children aged 8 years, using the Rutter A2 Scale, Rutter B2 Scale, and Children's Depression Inventory. Of these children, the 367 (6.6%) who scored high on the CDI Scale were more closely analyzed in this study. Most of the children who scored high on self-report did not score high on scales filled in by the adults. Boys were more often seen as disturbed on both reports than were girls. Children who reported depressive symptoms and performed poorly at school were more often seen to be disturbed by the adults than were children who scored high on self-report but performed well at school. Children who scored high on several measures had more conduct and attentional problems according to all informants when compared with children who scored high only on self-report. The CDI factors did not differ from each other among boys in the groups studied. Among girls, interpersonal problems were related to the disturbance seen also by the adults. Children who report many depressive symptoms themselves mostly score low on adult report. Especially children with depressive symptoms that are not manifest in behaviour are easily viewed as nondisturbed by adults. There is a clear need to collect information directly from the children themselves when children's psychiatric symptoms are assessed.