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. 1975;3(1):41-8.
doi: 10.1007/BF00916029.

Are children reliable reporters?

Are children reliable reporters?

B Herjanic et al. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 1975.

Abstract

Fifty children, ranging in age from 6 to 16 years, and their mothers were interviewed using the same structured interview, which in its content follows the usual psychiatric examination of a child. Their answers were compared and it was found that there was an 80% average agreement on all questions. The agreement (between child and parent) was highest on questions relating to factual information (84%) and the agreement (between child's interviewer and parent) was lowest in the section dealing with mental status (69%). Girls were more reliable informants than boys.

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