Screening for psychosocial problems among school children in Ilorin, Nigeria, using parents self report

ABSTRACT

The use of parents self-report in the assessment of children's psychosocial or emotional problems is still very minimal in Nigeria. A controlled evaluation of the psychosocial problems using the the parent's version questionnaire of the children depression scale [CDS] L and and Tisher [1983] was carried out on 52 parents of school children with mean age of 15.3 years, [range 12-16 years] mean years of education of 10.01 in a local community of Ilorin, Nigeria. Subjects were screened as satisfied by inclusion criteria into experimental and control groups. Results indicated a partial but inversely discriminating relationship between the 2 levels of parents assessed. Also, a substantial discriminating relationship existed when one compares the self-report of the experimental parents with their children. Findings were discussed in the light of caution and restraint in the use of the children depression scale as an instrument for identifying maladjusted behavior among children in Nigeria