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Do Parent and Teacher Report of ADHD Symptoms in Children Differ by SES and Racial Status?

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Abstract

Parent and teacher reports of symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children often differ from each other. These informant report differences may occur in systematic ways that vary by child socioeconomic status (SES) and race, but little is known about how SES and race together relate to parent and teacher report of ADHD symptoms in school-aged children. We examined the relationship between child SES, child race and parent and teacher reports of ADHD symptoms in two samples of school-aged Caucasian and African American children being evaluated for ADHD (N = 1056; N = 317). Multivariate regression was used to predict parent and teacher reports of ADHD symptoms from child SES, race, age, gender and interaction terms. The Wald test of parameter constraints was used to test the contrast between the predictors of interest and parent and teacher report of symptoms. In the second sample, we also examined observer report measures of ADHD symptoms during one-to-one testing and in the classroom. In both samples, lower SES was associated with higher levels of inattention symptoms, as reported by teachers, but not by parents. Lower SES was also associated with higher levels of hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms, as reported by both teachers and parents. African American race was associated with higher levels of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms reported by teachers than reported by parents. Observer report measures showed a different pattern of associations with SES and race. Investigating how children’s SES and race influence cross-informant agreement on ratings of children’s behavior might lead to the development of better assessment practices and more accurate diagnoses for diverse child populations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, 425 S. University Avenue, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Gwendolyn M. Lawson, Allison Nahmias & Ricardo Eiraldi

  2. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Jenelle Nissley-Tsiopinis

  3. University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA

    Stephanie H. McConaughy

  4. Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT, USA

    Stephanie H. McConaughy

  5. Department of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Ricardo Eiraldi

Authors
  1. Gwendolyn M. Lawson
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  2. Jenelle Nissley-Tsiopinis
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  3. Allison Nahmias
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  4. Stephanie H. McConaughy
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  5. Ricardo Eiraldi
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Correspondence to Gwendolyn M. Lawson.

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Funding

R01 HD40220 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Experiment Participants

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from parents/guardians of all participants.

Conflict of Interest

S. H. McConaughy was one of the developers of two of the tools (Test Observation Form and Direct Observation Form) used in the study. G. M. Lawson, J. Nissley-Tsiopinis, A. Nahmias, and R. Eiraldi declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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Lawson, G.M., Nissley-Tsiopinis, J., Nahmias, A. et al. Do Parent and Teacher Report of ADHD Symptoms in Children Differ by SES and Racial Status?. J Psychopathol Behav Assess 39, 426–440 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-017-9591-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-017-9591-0

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