Comparing the characteristics and outcomes of parent- and teacher-reported oppositional defiant disorder: findings from a national sample

James McNeilis, Barbara Maughan, Robert Goodman, Richard Rowe*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

10 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background: Parents and teachers often disagree on the presence of Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) in children. It has been argued that ODD should be treated as an informant-specific disorder. This study compared the characteristics of children identified with ODD by parent- and teacher report. Methods: We used the 1999 British Child and Adolescent Mental Health Survey, including more than 10,000 observations aged 5–15 years, to investigate symptom profiles, risk factors, comorbidities and three-year outcomes of parent- and teacher-reported ODD. Results: Parents and teachers poorly agreed on ODD diagnosis. Parent-reported ODD was more strongly associated with a concurrent anxiety disorder at time1 and a successive diagnosis of ODD at time2. Beyond these differences, parent- and teacher- reported ODD showed similar symptom profiles, risk factors, comorbidities, and outcomes. Conclusions: Children identified by parent report and teacher report share more similarities than differences in the characteristics of their disorder. This does not support the formation of informant-specific ODD disorders.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)659-666
Number of pages8
JournalJournal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines
Volume59
Issue number6
Early online date12 Dec 2017
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jun 2018

Keywords

  • diagnosis
  • nosology
  • Oppositional defiant disorder

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