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Pediatric Symptom Checklist: screening school-age children for psychosocial dysfunction
M S Jellinek1, J M Murphy, J Robinson
1Child Psychiatry Service, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston 02114.
The Journal of Pediatrics
|February 1, 1988
Summary
The Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC) effectively screens school-age children for psychosocial dysfunction. This parent-completed tool demonstrates high sensitivity and good specificity in identifying children needing further evaluation.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric healthcare
- Psychosocial assessment
- Clinical screening tools
Background:
- Pediatricians require reliable tools to identify psychosocial issues in children.
- The Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC) is a parent-reported questionnaire for this purpose.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the validity of the Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC).
- To assess the PSC's utility in identifying psychosocial dysfunction in school-aged children within outpatient pediatric settings.
Main Methods:
- Screening of 300 children across two pediatric practices.
- Comparing PSC results with in-depth interviews and pediatrician ratings for 48 children.
- Assessing parent and pediatrician acceptance of the screening process.
Main Results:
- The PSC demonstrated a sensitivity of 0.95 and a specificity of 0.68.
- The screening process was well-received by both parents and pediatricians.
- The PSC identified children with significant psychosocial dysfunction missed by initial pediatrician assessments.
Conclusions:
- The Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC) is a valid and sensitive tool for screening psychosocial dysfunction in children.
- The PSC aids pediatricians in identifying children who require further evaluation for psychosocial issues.
- Parental completion of the PSC is feasible and accepted in routine pediatric practice.