Maladjusted children and the school health services. Development of a screening test for routine use

Maladjustment, with social and mental dysfunction, is one of the most prevalent health problems threatening children in many countries. A method for the early identificantion of maladjusted schoolchildren is described and evaluated. The method involves the completion of a questionnaire for each child by the teacher and the calculation of a test score based on a set of weighting factors assigned to each question. The factors are determined by discriminant analysis. For a proper evaluation of the method an independent clinical assessment of maladjustment among 524 school children was performed, making calculations of specificity and sensitivity possible.