Screening Mexicans for psychosocial and behavioral problems during pediatric consultation

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Psychology
• Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• Public Health Screening

Background:

• Early detection of psychosocial and behavioral problems is crucial for preventing adolescent impairment.
• Pediatric consultations provide a key opportunity for screening these issues.
• Visual aids can enhance the suitability of screening tools for diverse pediatric populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the validity and suitability of a visually adapted screening tool, the Pictorial Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PPSC).
• To assess the PPSC's effectiveness in the early detection of psychosocial problems in Mexican children and adolescents.

Main Methods:

• A sample of 411 Mexican mothers/caretakers of children aged 4-16 completed the PPSC and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL).
• The study was conducted in El Paso, Texas, USA, within a routine pediatric health assessment setting.
• Sensitivity and specificity of the PPSC were determined using the CBCL as the criterion standard.

Main Results:

• The PPSC demonstrated good performance in detecting psychosocial and behavioral problems in the target sample.
• Sensitivity and specificity varied by age group: 69.6% and 95.2% (4-5 years), 61.8% and 91.8% (6-16 years).
• Detection rates were comparable to the standard Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC) in other ethnic groups.

Conclusions:

• The PPSC is a simple and effective tool for identifying potential psychosocial problems in over 65% of children during pediatric visits.
• This free screening tool is effective for pediatric populations of Mexican origin, including those on the border.
• The PPSC shows potential effectiveness for Mexican children within Mexico as well.