Assessment of Depression among Children through Multi-Informant Approach

Depression in the children merits special mention because the early onset of depression in children is associated with poorer prognosis and a severe and recurrent course in adulthood. Researchers are in favour of using multiple informants when assessing children for possible depressive disorders. The current study examined depression in a sample of 80 children aged between 11-15 years. Using baseline data from multi-informants i.e. children, parents, and teachers, this study examined depression agreement across two or more informants. The Children Depression Inventory (CDI) (Kovac, 1985) was used to measure depression using child, parent and teacher version. The study indicated that as per child and teacher report, one-fourth of total sample was detected with depression symptoms but parents reported slightly higher percentage of children with depressive symptoms (31.3%). Mean comparison results revealed that reports of multi-informants were significantly different from each other. The results of the study provide confirmation of earlier findings on depression. The study will increase awareness in public and among stakeholders about mental health disparity among children in Haryana. Implications for the integration of multi-informant assessment information are discussed.