Maladjusted Children and the School Health Services: Development of a Screening Test for Routine Use
Abstract
Maladjustment, with social and mental dysfunction, is one of the most prevalent health problems threatening children in many countries. A method for the early identification 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.