Parent-child discrepancies in anxiety and depression digital
intervention: a meta-analysis on RCT studies
Abstract
Objective: This meta-analysis investigated parent-child
discrepancies in reporting anxiety and depression symptoms during
digital interventions for youth. Method: We analyzed 13
randomized controlled trials involving 2,022 children (mean age = 12.25
years, 52.76% female) and 2,069 parents. Studies included digital
interventions for anxiety and/or depression, with both parent and child
reports. Effect sizes (Hedge’s g) were calculated for intervention and
control groups across four time points. Discrepancies were assessed
using Bland-Altman plots, Kendall’s Tau, correlation analyses, and
paired tests. Results: Small, nonsignificant effects were found
for both parent (g = -0.02 to 0.71) and child (g = -0.14 to 0.22)
reports across time points. Parent-child agreement varied, with
Kendall’s Tau ranging from 0.33 to 1.00 for anxiety and -0.33 to 0.50
for depression. Parents reported larger intervention effects than
children, particularly for anxiety at mid-term (parent g = 0.71, child g
= 0.15) and depression at short-term (parent g = 1.36, child g = 0.03).
However, these differences were not statistically significant.
Conclusions: While not statistically significant, notable
discrepancies exist between parent and child reports of anxiety and
depression symptoms during digital interventions. These findings suggest
the importance of considering both perspectives in clinical assessments
and research, particularly at different stages of treatment for anxiety
and depression.