Diverging perspectives on emerging mental health symptoms: Multi-informant discrepancies and their associated determinants across the transition to adolescence in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study.

内容摘要

The transition from childhood to adolescence is marked by significant developmental, social, and contextual changes that present practical challenges for the measurement of emerging mental health symptoms. This study explores transdiagnostic symptoms across three core dimensions from the Achenbach system of empirically based assessment brief problem monitor-internalizing, inattention (INA), and externalizing (EXT) (aggressive/rule-breaking behavior)-as well as across reporters (youth, caregiver, teacher), reporter characteristics, and developmental and social contexts. Four years of longitudinal data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD®) release 5.1 study sample included 11,832 youth (age: 9.67-14.75 years; 48% girls) from 21 sites across the United States. Youth symptoms of internalizing, INA, and EXT problems were reported by youth, caregivers, and teachers. Analyses examined mean-level directional discrepancies in the reporters' overall ratings and whether those discrepancies were predicted by reporters' characteristics and socio-experiential environments (e.g., parental warmth, school environment), and developmental change over time. Discrepancies in youth symptom ratings varied systematically across reporters, youth and caregiver characteristics, and socio-experiential factors. Overall, youth consistently rated their symptoms higher than caregivers and teachers across all domains, with discrepancies widening over time. Reporter discrepancies were greater if the youth was female, non-white, or showed advanced pubertal development. Symptom ratings were higher from caregivers with higher education and depression symptoms. Teachers reported higher symptoms for youth with non-white caregivers, but lower symptoms for youth with immigrant caregivers. Socio-experiential factors show that caregiver reports of youth symptoms were higher than self-reports in contexts of greater caregiver warmth and more prosocial school environments. Self-reports were also higher than both caregivers and teacher reports of youth symptoms when experiencing higher levels of family conflict. When capturing youth symptoms, whom you ask matters. The impact of reporters varies in complex ways, including by features of the reporter, environment, developmental stage, and symptom dimension.