Malaysian parent and teacher ratings of the oppositional defiant disorder symptoms: measurement invariance and parent-teacher agreement.

BACKGROUND

This study evaluated the measurement invariance and agreement across parent and teacher ratings of the DSM-IV-TR oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) symptoms.

METHOD: Malaysian parents and teachers of 934 children (between 6 and 11 years of age) completed rating scales comprising the ODD symptoms.

RESULTS

Findings showed support for full measurement invariance (configural, metric and thresholds). Additional results indicated low parent-teacher agreement for all symptoms.

DISCUSSION: The theoretical and clinical and implications of these findings are discussed.