Screening and Assessment Tools for Child Welfare
Description / Purpose:
The PSC-17 is used to screen for childhood emotional and behavioral problems including those of attention, externalizing, and internalizing.
Target Population: Children between the ages of 4 -18 years.
Intended Users: Primary care physicians.
Time to Administer: 17 items, administration time approximately 3 minutes.
Completed By: Parents.
Modalities Available: Paper and pencil.
Scoring Information: Scoring information is available from Massachusetts General Hospital.
Languages Available: Chinese, English, Spanish
Training Requirements for Intended Users: None.
Availability: The PSC-17 may be obtained free from Massachusetts General Hospital.
Contact Information
- Company: Massachusetts General Hospital
- Website: www2.massgeneral.org/allpsych/psc/psc_home.htm
- Name: Dr. Michael Jellinek
- Email: Mjellinek@partners.org
- Phone: (617) 726-2711
- Fax: (617) 726-3155
- Company: Massachusetts General Hospital
- Website: www2.massgeneral.org/allpsych/psc/psc_home.htm
- Name: J. Michael Murphy, EdD
- Email: mmurphy6@partners.org
- Phone: (617) 724-3163
- Fax: (617) 726-9219
Summary of Relevant Psychometric Research
This assessment has received the Assessment Rating of "A – Reliability and Validity Demonstrated" based on the published, peer-reviewed research available. The assessment must have 2 or more published, peer-reviewed studies that demonstrated that the measure is reliable and valid. Please see the Assessment Rating Scale for more information.
Gardner, W., Lucas, A., Kolko, D. J., & Campo, J. V. (2007). Comparison of the PSC-17 and alternative mental health screens in an at-risk primary care sample. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 46(5), 611-618.
Sample:
Participants — 269 children and adolescents 8 to 15 years, obtained through primary care physicians in Pennsylvania.
Race/Ethnicity — Not Specified
Summary:
Parents completed the PSC-17 during an office visit. Based on scores, some children were classified as "at-risk". Parents also completed the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and children completed the Children's Depression Inventory during a psychiatric interview. The interview protocol also used the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime Versions (K-SADS-PL). Results indicated that the PSC-17 performed as well as other screening instruments in identifying ADHD, externalizing disorders and depression, but was less sensitive in identifying anxiety.
Kostanecka, A., Power, T., Clarke, A., Watkins, M., Hausman, C., & Blum, N. J. (2008). Behavioral health screening in urban primary care settings: Construct validity of the PSC-17. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 29(2), 124-128.
Sample:
Participants — 331 families with children between 4 and 12 years of age obtained through a primary care practice serving a low-income population.
Race/Ethnicity — 88% African American, 7% biracial, 5% other.
Summary:
The analysis of this data supports a hypothesis that there is a 3-factor structure for the scale. The items clustered into internalizing, externalizing and attention-related subscales. However, some items on the attention and externalizing scales did not conform exclusively to those scales, so the authors recommend caution in interpreting those subscales.
Date Reviewed: June 2009