Use of child reports of daily functioning to facilitate identification of psychosocial problems in children

BACKGROUND: Despite the availability of effective screening measures, physicians fail to identify and manage many children with psychosocial problems. Physicians are most likely to identify children with psychosocial problems when parents voice concerns about their child's functioning. However, few parents express concerns to their child's physician, and children's perspectives of their own functioning are rarely considered. This study evaluated the potential utility of children's reports of their own functioning. METHODS: The Child Functioning Scale (CFS) was completed by 107 parents and children and compared with the Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC) and physician reports on the psychosocial status of each child. RESULTS: Physicians identified 20% of the children identified by the PSC. Children's self-reported problems on the CFS would have identified 53.3% of these children. Additionally, 11.2% of children who did not meet criteria on the PSC self-reported problems in daily functioning. CONCLUSION: Collecting information about children's perceptions of their own daily functioning could provide physicians with an additional tool for the assessment of psychosocial problems.