A new look at inter-informant agreement on conduct disorder using a latent class approach

Abstract 

This study examined agreement on aggressive and nonaggressive conduct disorder in a general population sample of 14- to 17-year-old adolescents (n=1165) and their mothers. We collected diagnostic interview data and applied latent class analyses to estimate inter-informant agreement. The preferred model for aggressive conduct disorder for both males and females was a one-latent-variable/two-class model specifying no inter-informant disagreement beyond chance expectations. This model estimated the prevalence of aggressive conduct disorder to be 13% for males and 0.4% for females. For nonaggressive conduct disorder, a one-latent-variable/three-class model specifying asymmetric agreement was preferred for both males and females. This model estimated the prevalence of nonaggressive conduct disorder in adolescents to be 18% according to males and 13% according to mothers. Prevalence estimates were 12% according to females and 7% according to mothers. Symptom sensitivity estimates for all models were poor whereas specificity estimates were near perfect to perfect. Males had higher rates of aggressive and nonaggressive conduct disorder across informants. There was a high level of adolescent–mother agreement on both types of conduct disorder. However, there were some differences, suggesting that aggressive and nonaggressive are two valid subtypes of conduct disorder with different prevalence estimates and agreement levels.

Keywords: Latent class analysis, Adolescents, Mothers, Aggressive conduct symptoms, Nonaggressive conduct symptoms, Psychiatric diagnoses