2025 WCHRI Summer Student

Bridging the gap: Understanding children’s mental health from their perspective

Aline Thorkelsson’s research explores why children and their caregivers often report mental health symptoms differently on questionnaires. These differences, known as “informant discrepancies,” can complicate diagnosis and treatment, potentially leading to care that doesn’t fully meet a child’s needs.

She used data from a child and adolescent mental health centre to identify patterns in how children and their caregivers report on anxiety, depression and quality of life.

“My project looks at why kids and their parents often see their mental health differently when filling out questionnaires. Parents might notice outward behaviours, while kids focus more on their feelings, which can lead to mismatches that affect diagnosis and treatment. By studying these differences, we hope to help doctors make better decisions so kids get the care that actually fits their needs.”

Goals:

• Identify factors that contribute to discrepancies in how children and caregivers report on a child’s mental health.
• Provide recommendations for how to interpret patient questionnaires that ask about symptoms and functioning.

Potential impact: The findings from her research could lead to more accurate diagnoses, more effective treatments and better outcomes for children with mental health concerns, ensuring that their care truly reflects their lived experiences.

Supervisor: Erin McCabe, assistant professor, Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine

Funder: Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation

Interested in doing research to improve the health of women and/or children? Read more about WCHRI’s training awards for students at all levels and generous grants for researchers.