Assessing eating disorder symptoms in adolescence: is there a role for multiple informants?

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Studies of adolescent psychiatric disorders often collect information from adolescents and parents, yet most eating disorder epidemiologic studies only rely on adolescent report.

Method

We studied the eating disorder symptom reports, from questionnaires sent at participants' ages 14 and 16 years, provided by 7,968 adolescents from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), and their parents. Adolescents and parents were asked questions about the adolescent's eating disorder symptoms (binge eating, vomiting, laxative use, fasting, and thinness). We assessed cross-sectional concordance and prevalence using kappa coefficients and generalized estimating equations. Generalized estimating equations were used to assess prospective associations between

SUBMITTER: Swanson SA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4183354 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature