The construction, development and testing of a self-report questionnaire to identify social problems

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Psychometrics
• Public Health

Background:

• Social problems significantly impact individual well-being and societal functioning.
• Existing assessment tools may lack comprehensiveness or brevity.
• A validated instrument is needed for efficient identification of social difficulties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To construct and validate a concise self-report questionnaire.
• To identify a wide range of social problems, difficulties, and dissatisfactions.
• To provide a tool for use in diverse settings.

Main Methods:

• Development of a short self-report questionnaire.
• Iterative testing and refinement of the questionnaire items.
• Administration of the questionnaire in multiple settings to assess its utility.

Main Results:

• The questionnaire successfully identified social problems in areas including housing, occupation, finance, and relationships.
• Testing across various settings demonstrated the tool's applicability.
• A final, refined version of the questionnaire was established.

Conclusions:

• The developed questionnaire is an effective tool for identifying social problems.
• Its brevity and scope make it suitable for diverse populations and settings.
• This instrument can aid in social assessment and intervention planning.