Only complementary voices tell the truth: a reevaluation of validity in multi-informant approaches of child and adolescent clinical assessments

Aleksandra Kaurin, Boris Egloff, Argyris Stringaris, Michèle Wessa

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12 Citations (Scopus)
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Abstract

Multi-informant approaches are thought to be key to clinical assessment. Classical theories of psychological measurements assume that only convergence among different informants’ reports allows for an estimate of the true nature and causes of clinical presentations. However, the integration of multiple accounts is fraught with problems because findings in child and adolescent psychiatry do not conform to the fundamental expectation of convergence. Indeed, reports provided by different sources (self, parents, teachers, peers) share little variance. Moreover, in some cases informant divergence may be meaningful
and not error variance. In this review we give an overview of conceptual and theoretical foundations of valid multiinformant
assessment and discuss why our common concepts of validity need revaluation.
Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of Neural Transmission
Early online date27 Apr 2016
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 27 Apr 2016

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