Multi-observer assessment of problem behavior in adjudicated youths: Patterns of discrepancies

Discrepancies between juvenile offenders and their parents' profiles on the CBCL and the YSR were examined. These instruments were completed by 51 adolescent-parent dyads currently receiving probation services from the juvenile justice system. Contrary to previous studies with both clinic and non-clinic populations, parents of juvenile offenders scored significantly higher than their adolescents on both Internalization and Externalization subscales. This negative view by the parent is also reflected in significantly lower Competence subscales scores. Overall, parents scored their children's behavior more negative but fewer positive traits of the adolescents' behavior. An unexpected finding was the higher than expected frequency of above average inter-observer correlations between parents and juvenile offenders. Findings may be congruent with the fundamental attribution error; parents attribute their children's negative behavior to individual traits. Clinical and research implications are discussed.