Mood and Feelings Questionnaire: Parent Report [MFQ-Parent]

Description and Purpose

The Mood and Feelings Questionnaire: Parent Report (MFQ-Parent) is a psychometric instrument designed to assess depressive symptoms in children and adolescents from the perspective of their parents. It forms part of the broader Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ) family of instruments, originally developed by Adrian Angold and Elizabeth J. Costello.

The questionnaire provides a structured method for recording emotional and behavioral manifestations that may be associated with depressive symptomatology, using parents’ observations of their child’s behavior and emotional functioning.

Objectives

The primary objective of the MFQ-Parent is to provide a reliable and valid method for detecting and assessing depressive symptoms in children and adolescents based on parental observations.

This information can contribute to a better understanding of the young person’s psychological state and may help identify cases in which further assessment or intervention should be considered.

The MFQ-Parent should therefore be regarded primarily as a symptom assessment and screening instrument, rather than as a stand-alone diagnostic measure.

Structure of the Questionnaire

The MFQ-Parent consists of a series of statements describing different emotional and behavioral symptoms associated with depression.

Parents are asked to evaluate how frequently they have observed each symptom in their child during the previous two weeks.

According to the source material, the statements address areas including:

• feelings of sadness or unhappiness;
• lack of interest in everyday activities;
• difficulty concentrating;
• sleep disturbances;
• feelings of worthlessness or guilt.

These areas provide information about different emotional, cognitive, and behavioral manifestations that may be associated with depressive symptomatology.

Administration and Scoring

Each statement is rated using a three-point Likert-type scale ranging from 0 to 2:

0 = Not true
1 = Sometimes true
2 = Often true

The total score is calculated by summing the scores assigned to the individual statements.

Higher total scores indicate a greater presence of depressive symptoms.

The source document also states that predefined thresholds can assist in identifying children who may require further assessment or intervention. However, it does not provide the numerical values of these thresholds.

Data Analysis and Use

In research settings, MFQ-Parent scores can be summarized using descriptive statistics such as the mean, standard deviation, median, and score distribution.

Depending on the objectives of a study, total scores may also be examined in relation to demographic, family, social, or other psychological variables.

When repeated assessments are available, changes in scores may be examined over time to investigate variations in reported depressive symptomatology.

Any interpretation of scores according to screening thresholds should follow the validated procedures for the specific version and population being assessed.

Validity and Reliability

The literature included in the source document contains studies examining the development, validity, and psychometric properties of the MFQ.

Angold et al. (1995) described the development of a short questionnaire for epidemiological studies of depression in children and adolescents, while Daviss et al. (2006) investigated the criterion validity of the MFQ for depressive episodes in clinical and non-clinical populations.

Additional studies by Wood et al. (1995) and Kent et al. (1997) examined the properties of the questionnaire and its use in detecting depressive symptoms among children and adolescents.

The provided document does not report a specific numerical Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. Therefore, a particular reliability coefficient should not be attributed to this version solely on the basis of the available source.

Applications

The MFQ-Parent can be used in clinical and research contexts where systematic assessment of depressive symptoms in children and adolescents is required.

Parental reporting can provide useful information about emotional and behavioral changes observed in everyday life. The results may therefore contribute to identifying young people who could benefit from more comprehensive assessment.

The questionnaire may also be particularly useful as part of a broader assessment process in which parental observations are considered alongside information obtained from the child or adolescent and other relevant sources.

MFQ-Parent scores should not be interpreted independently as confirmation or exclusion of a clinical diagnosis.

Conclusion

The Mood and Feelings Questionnaire: Parent Report [MFQ-Parent] provides a structured approach to assessing depressive symptoms in children and adolescents through parental report.

By focusing on symptoms observed during the previous two weeks and using a straightforward 0–2 response format, the questionnaire allows depressive symptomatology to be quantified systematically.

Higher scores indicate a greater presence of depressive symptoms and may help identify cases in which more detailed clinical or psychological assessment should be considered.

References

Angold, A., Costello, E. J., Messer, S. C., & Pickles, A. (1995). Development of a short questionnaire for use in epidemiological studies of depression in children and adolescents. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 5, 237–249.

Daviss, W. B., Birmaher, B., Melhem, N. A., Axelson, D. A., Michaels, S. M., & Brent, D. A. (2006). Criterion validity of the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire for depressive episodes in clinic and non-clinic subjects. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 47(9), 927–934.

Wood, A., Kroll, L., Moore, A., & Harrington, R. (1995). Properties of the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire in adolescent psychiatric outpatients: A research note. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 36(2), 327–334.

Kent, L., Vostanis, P., & Feehan, C. (1997). Detection of major and minor depression in children and adolescents: Evaluation of the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 38(5), 565–573.