title: The accuracy of dating childhood life events on a parental questionnaire.
abstract: The accuracy in dating events by parents on the Coddington childhood life-event self-report inventory was assessed, by examining the concordance between events reported on the inventory and at a subsequent life-events interview. Seventy per cent of all the events reported on the inventory were dated at interview within the stated three month period. On group comparisons of all events reported, concordance in dating was not significantly related to the nature of the events classified according to desirability, specificity or direction (exit/entrance). Nor was it related to psychological deviance in the mother or in the child. However, when statements in the questionnaire were examined individually for concordance, there was full concordance for desirable events and for hospitalizations. In contrast, there was no concordance when marital separation, remarriage and birth of a sib were reported. The reasons for this are explored.
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D010553:Personality Development; D011581:Psychological Tests; D011594:Psychometrics; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000523:psychology*