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Abstract

The relationship between indicators of marital discord and differences between parents' reports of the behavior of their children on a symptom/behavior checklist was investigated for a sample of 18 consecutive admissions to an inpatient child psychiatry program. The parents independently and separately were administered the Achenbach and Edelbrock Child Behavior Checklist. An experienced clinician rated the families on three indices of marital discord following a paired-comparison procedure. The findings indicated that the greater the marital difficulty, the greater the difference in the adults' ratings of behavior difficulties in the children. Since marital discord can influence parents' perceptions of their children's behavior, sex of parent cannot be ignored as a variable in studies utilizing behavioral checklists for such purposes as a dependent measure of therapeutic change.

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Effect of Marital Discord on Parental Reports on the Child Behavior Checklist

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