title: Parent-victim agreement in adolescent suicide research.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The necessary absence of the victim's report in psychological autopsy studies is likely to introduce a systematic reporting bias. The authors investigated the nature and extent of this bias by examining agreement between accounts of symptomatology given by adolescents who made a serious suicide attempt and their parents.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-two attempters younger than age 20 were matched individually on age, sex, and ethnicity to a sample of suicide completers in two previous investigations. A semistructured interview was used to assess symptoms for DSM-III disorders. Diagnoses were assigned using two distinct computer algorithms, based respectively on youth and parent informant reports. Kappa values were estimated for each diagnostic category and related symptoms.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Highest rates of parent-youth agreement were found for substance abuse and disruptive disorders. Rates of conduct disorder (nonaggressive) and major depression were reported less frequently by parents relative to their children. At the symptom level, parents less frequently reported Gets drunk and Frequency of drinking.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Psychological autopsy studies of adolescent suicide are likely to underestimate the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in general and major depression and alcohol abuse in particular. These risk factors may be more predictive than previously thought.
authors.affiliation: Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306-0520, USA.
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Velting
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shaffer
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Gould
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Garfinkel
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Davies
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001526:Behavioral Symptoms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015982:Bias; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015588:Observer Variation; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012938:Social Perception; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology