Eating and self-harming problematic behaviors in Portuguese adolescents and parents: perception (mis)match in a nationwide clinical sample comparing to a normative sample

Abstract

Background: This study examined the perception (mis)match between Portuguese adolescents and their parents in clinical and normative samples regarding eating and self-harming behaviors. Methods: Data were analyzed using the SENA system. Group comparisons were performed using Mann-Whitney U tests, and correlations were assessed with Spearman's coefficient. Results: Participants included 183 adolescents and 144 parents (clinical sample) and 207 adolescents and 277 parents (normative sample). Adolescents' and parents' reports were further apart in the clinical than in the normative sample, significantly so for eating behavioral problems (p = .049), though adolescents consistently reported more problems (all p < .001). Conclusion: Findings indicate greater adolescent-parent discrepancy in the clinical sample. Clinical follow-up increases adolescents' awareness but not parental recognition, reinforcing the need for targeted family psychoeducation.