Am J Psychiatry 1991; 148:1031-1036
Copyright © 1991 by American Psychiatric Association
Screening for dysfunction in the children of outpatients at a psychopharmacology clinic
MS Jellinek, SJ Bishop, JM Murphy, J Biederman and JF Rosenbaum
Child Psychiatry Service, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston 02114.
OBJECTIVE: The goals of this study were 1) to determine whether the use of
the Pediatric Symptom Checklist in an adult-oriented psychiatric practice
was feasible, 2) to determine if scores indicative of dysfunction on the
Pediatric Symptom Checklist were associated with parental or background
factors, 3) to determine whether children flagged by their scores on the
Pediatric Symptom Checklist were receiving psychiatric services, and 4) to
compare the psychosocial dysfunction in this group of children with that
found in children screened as part of routine pediatric visits. METHOD:
Adult outpatients in a hospital's clinical psychopharmacology unit were
asked to complete the Pediatric Symptom Checklist regarding their children.
These patients were the parents of 100 school-aged children. Factors such
as the parents' diagnoses and demographic variables were also examined.
RESULTS: The Pediatric Symptom Checklist was readily accepted by parents
and fit easily into the routine of general psychiatric practice.
Significantly more of the children of these outpatients than of children in
comparable pediatric offices had scores indicative of psychiatric
dysfunction (scores above the cutoff). Children of parents who were single,
of low socioeconomic status, or with a diagnosis of personality (especially
borderline) or mood disorder were more likely to have scores above the
cutoff. More than a third of the children who had scores above the cutoff
on the Pediatric Symptom Checklist were not currently receiving psychiatric
services. CONCLUSIONS: The Pediatric Symptom Checklist provided a rapid and
simple method for general psychiatrists to identify psychosocial
dysfunction in their patients' children.
