Self versus maternal reports of emotional and behavioral difficulties in suicidal and non-suicidal adolescents: an Israeli nationwide survey

Abstract

There is relatively little research addressing parent-adolescent agreement as regards to reporting on adolescent suicidal behavior in general and their behavioral and emotional difficulties in particular. The objective of this study was to compare maternal and adolescents' reports on behavioral and emotional difficulties among adolescents with and without suicidal behavior. This nationally-representative sample included 906 adolescents and their mothers. The mothers and adolescents were interviewed and evaluated separately using the Development and Well-Being Assessment Inventory (DAWBA) and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Self-rated SDQ scores of the suicidal adolescents were significantly higher in all SDQ problem scales compared to the non-suicidal participants. In contrast, maternal-rated SDQ assessments failed to discriminate between these groups, except the Hyperactivity scale. We demonstrated that mothers of suicidal adolescents in the community hardly recognize the emotional and behavioral difficulties of their offsprings.

Conclusion: The mental examination of the adolescent patient should be maintained as the central and most reliable source of information regarding the suicidal adolescent. Mental health services planning of national suicide prevention programs should take into account these poor mother-adolescent agreement findings.