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Does Mother Know Best? Parental Discrepancies in Assessing Child Functioning

Author

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  • Datta Gupta, Nabanita

    (Aarhus University)

  • Lausten, Mette

    (Danish National Centre for Social Research (SFI))

  • Pozzoli, Dario

    (Copenhagen Business School)

Abstract

We investigate the degree of correspondence between parents' reports on child behavioral and educational outcomes using the most recent available wave of a rich Danish longitudinal survey of children (the DALSC). All outcomes are measured at age 11 when the children are expected to be in fifth grade. Once discrepancies are detected, we analyze whether they are driven by noisy evaluations or by systematic bias, focusing on the role of parental characteristics and response heterogeneity. We then explicitly assess the relative importance of the mother's versus the father's assessments in explaining child academic performance and diagnosed mental health to investigate whether one parent is systematically a better informant of their child's outcomes than the other.

Suggested Citation

  • Datta Gupta, Nabanita & Lausten, Mette & Pozzoli, Dario, 2012. "Does Mother Know Best? Parental Discrepancies in Assessing Child Functioning," IZA Discussion Papers 6962, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp6962
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    Cited by:

    1. Rasheda Khanam & Son Nghiem & Maisha Rahman, 2020. "The income gradient and child mental health in Australia: does it vary by assessors?," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 21(1), pages 19-36, February.
    2. Kristoffersen, Jannie H.G. & Obel, Carsten & Smith, Nina, 2015. "Gender differences in behavioral problems and school outcomes," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 75-93.
    3. Kristoffersen, Jannie H. G. & Smith, Nina, 2013. "Gender Differences in the Effects of Behavioral Problems on School Outcomes," IZA Discussion Papers 7410, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    child development; informant discrepancies; reporting bias;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth

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