To address the lack of studies examining the convergent and discriminant validity of cross-informant ratings, several statistical approaches were used in this study to evaluate the convergent and discriminant validity for ratings of interparental conflict, adolescent behavioral problems, and adolescent competence. A total of 272 adolescent-motherfather triads completed measures assessing interparental conflict, adolescent behavioral problems, and adolescent competence. The validity of these measures appeared questionnable when relationships were examined using Campbell and Fiske’s criteria and confirmatory factor analysis, respectively. In contrast, analyses demonstrated adequate fit of cross-informant ratings in a correlated uniqueness model, supporting convergent and discriminant validity. Overall, results suggested that informant effects should be analyzed when examining interparental conflict and adolescent adjustment. These findings emphasize the importance of considering the measurement issues of cross-informant ratings when examining interparental conflict, adolescent behavioral problems, and adolescent competence.
Achenbach, T. M. (1991a). Manual for the Child Behavior Checklist/4-18 and 1991 profile. Burlington: University of Vermont Department of Psychiatry.
2.
Achenbach, T. M. (1991b). Manual for the Youth Self-Report and 1991 profile. Burlington: University of Vermont Department of Psychiatry.
3.
Achenbach, T. M., McConaughy, S. T., & Howell, C. T. (1987). Child/adolescent behavioral and emotional problems. Implications of cross-informant correlations for situational specificity. Psychological Bulletin, 101, 213-232.
4.
Bagozzi, R. P. (1993). Assessing construct validity in personality research: Applications to measures of self-esteem. Journal of Research in Personality, 27, 49-87.
5.
Bray, J. H., Maxwell, S. E., & Cole, D. (1995). Multivariate statistics for family psychology research. Journal of Family Psychology, 9, 144-160.
6.
Bryant, F. B. (2000). Assessing the validity of measurement. In L. G. Grimm & P. R. Yarnold (Eds.), Reading and understanding more multivariate statistics(pp. 99-146). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
7.
Byrne, B. M., & Goffin, R. D. (1993). Modeling MTMM data from additive and multiplicative covariance structures: An audit of construct validity concordance. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 29, 67-96.
8.
Campbell, D. T., & Fiske, D. W. (1959). Convergent and discriminant validation by the multitrait-multimethod matrix. Psychological Bulletin, 56, 81-105.
9.
Cook, W. L., & Goldstein, M. J. (1993). Multiple perspectives on family relationships: A latent variables model. Child Development, 64, 1377-1388.
10.
Cummings, E. M., & Davies, P. (1994). Children and marital conflict: The impact of family dispute and resolution. New York: Guilford.
11.
Duhig, A. M., Renk, K., Epstein, M. K., & Phares, V. (2000). Interparental agreement on internalizing, externalizing, and total behavior problems: A meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 7, 435-453.
12.
Emery, R. E., & O’Leary, K. D. (1982). Children’s perceptions of marital discord and behavior problems of boys and girls. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 10, 11-24.
13.
First, M. B., Gibbon, M., Williams, J. B. W., & Spitzer, R. L. (1995). Instruction manual for the Mini-Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) Version 2. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press.
14.
Fiske, D. W., & Campbell, D. T. (1992). Citations do not solve problems. Psychological Bulletin, 112, 393-395.
15.
Grych, J. H., & Fincham, F. D. (1990). Marital conflict and children’s adjustment: A cognitivecontextual framework. Psychological Bulletin, 108, 267-290.
16.
Grych, J. H., Seid, M., & Fincham, F. D. (1992). Assessing marital conflict from the child’s perspective: The Children’s Perception of Interparental Conflict Scale. Child Development, 63, 558-572.
17.
Jöreskog, K. G. (1974). Analyzing psychological data by structural analysis of covariance matrices. In R. C. Atkinson, D.H. Krantz, R. D. Luce, & P. Suppes (Eds.), Contemporary developments in mathematical psychology(Volume 2, pp. 1-56). New York: Freeman.
18.
Kenny, D. A. (1991). A general model of consensus and accuracy in interpersonal perception. Psychological Review, 98, 155-163.
19.
Kenny, D. A., & Berman, J. A. (1980). Statistical approaches to the correction of correlation bias. Psychological Bulletin, 88, 288-295.
20.
Kenny, D. A., & Kashy, D. A. (1992). Analysis of the multitrait-multimethod matrix by confirmatory factor analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 112, 165-172.
21.
Kenrick, D. T., & Stringfield, D. O. (1980). Personality traits and the eye of the beholder: Crossing some traditional philosophical boundaries in the search for consistency in all of the people. Psychological Review, 87, 88-104.
22.
Marsh, H. W. (1989). Confirmatory factor analyses of multitrait-multimethod data: Many problems and a few solutions. Applied Psychological Measurement, 13, 335-361.
23.
Marsh, H. W., & Bailey, M. (1991). Confirmatory factor analyses of multitrait-multimethod data: A comparison of alternative models. Applied Psychological Measurement, 15, 47-70.
24.
Noller, P., & Guthrie, D. (1991). Studying communication in marriage: An integration and critical evaluation. Advances in Personal Relationships, 3, 37-73.
25.
Porter, B., & O’Leary, K. D. (1980). Marital discord and childhood behavior problems. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 8, 287-295.
26.
Schumacker, R. E., & Lomax, R. G. (1996). A beginner’s guide to structural equation modeling. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
27.
Stanger, C., & Lewis, M. (1993). Agreement among parents, teachers, and children on internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 22, 107-115.
28.
Sternberg, K. J., Lamb, M. E., & Dawud-Noursi, S. (1997). Using multiple informants and crosscultural research to study the effects of domestic violence on developmental psychopathology: Illustrations from research in Israel. In S. S. Luthar, J. A. Burack, D. Cicchetti, & J. R. Weisz (Eds.), Developmental psychopathology: Perspectives on adjustment, risk, and disorder(pp. 417-436). New York: Cambridge University Press.
29.
Wothke, W. (1996). Models for multitrait-multimethod matrix analysis. In G. A. Marcoulides& R. E. Schumaker (Eds.), Advanced structural equation modeling: Issues and applications(pp. 7-56). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
