Teacher Versus Parent Informant Measurement Invariance of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire

Background and Objectives Obtaining a multi-informant perspective is important when assessing mental health issues in childhood and adolescence. Obtaining ratings from both parents and teachers also facilitates the evaluation of similarities and contrasts in the nature and severity of symptoms across home and school contexts. However, these informants may differ in their interpretations of observed behaviors, raising questions about the validity of comparing parents' and teachers' ratings. Methods We evaluated the cross-informant measurement invariance of one of the most widely used measures of child and adolescent mental health: The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Using data from the UK-population representative Millennium Cohort Study, we evaluated configural, metric, and scalar measurement invariance across parents and teachers when children were aged 7 (N = 10,221) and 11 (N = 10,543). Results Scalar measurement invariance held at both ages. Parents reported higher levels of symptoms in all domains measured at both ages as well as higher prosociality. Conclusions For a UK sample, valid comparisons of parent and teacher SDQ ratings at ages 7 and 11 appear to be possible, facilitating the evaluation of contextual differences in child mental health problems. Further, parents report more problem and prosocial behavior in their children than teachers attribute to them.

Automated summary

The study suggests that valid comparisons of parent and teacher SDQ ratings in a UK sample are possible, with parents reporting higher levels of symptoms and prosocial behavior in their children across all domains compared to teachers.