Sibling Agreement on Retrospective Reports of Parental Alcoholism and Other Childhood Events

Abstract

Studies have used siblings to verify subject reports of retrospective data and examined variables influencing subject–sibling agreement, but questions remain. From 1998 to 2000, we examined a community sample of women (N = 143) in a metropolitan area, aged 21–60, balanced by race, parental alcoholism, and social class, as well as their siblings, using standardized, self-administered questionnaires and an interview. Research questions: Do subject and sibling reports agree? Do reports vary by subject characteristics, or the type of childhood experience? Descriptive statistics showed that agreement was strong for measures of parental alcoholism and psychiatric problems, weaker for family environment, and varied little by subject characteristics. Study limitations and implications are noted, and future research suggested.

Keywords:

• sibling agreement
• retrospective reports
• parental alcoholism
• childhood events
• collateral informants
• verifying subject reports

Notes

¹ The reader is reminded that these two categories represent heterogeneous racial and ethnic groups whose similarities and differences in a range of characteristics as well as adaptational and functioning skills, abilities, etc. inadvertently become nonexistent. Editor's note.