Emotional and behavioural problems in adolescents young adults receiving treatment at a community-based psychotherapy centre for young people: A preliminary study of the correspondence among adolescent young adult and significant other reports

The present study examined the correspondence among adolescent/young adult and parental figure, professional, peer and partner reports, in their rating of emotional and behavioural problems of 195 young people aged between 12 and 25 years who attended a community-based psychotherapy centre. Data from young people were obtained at intake by participants completing the Youth Self Report Form and from significant others by them completing the Significant Other version of the Teacher's Report Form. professionals rated internalizing (emotional) problems lower than peers, partners or parental figures. Externalizing (disruptive) problems were rated lowest by professionals, highest by partners with parental figures and peers in between. Agreement for internalizing problems was highest between self and professionals and lowest for partners and peeps; parental figures were in between these two extremes. For externalizing problems, agreement was highest between self and friends bur very low for partners. Professionals' ratings of internalizing problems showed a strong association with clinicians' assessment of global functioning and there was a strong association between partner ratings of total problems and clinicians' ratings of global functioning. The study showed the value of using a wider range of informants for assessing emotional and behavioural problems presented by young people seeking treatment than used in the assessment of pre-adolescents.