Initial validation of the functional impairment scale for children and adolescents.
OBJECTIVE
Two studies assessed the validity of the Functional Impairment Scale for Children and Adolescents (FISCA), a multidimensional parent-report questionnaire.


METHODS
In study 1, quasi-exploratory and confirmatory procedures tested whether FISCA data for 804 inpatients (mean age = 13.4, 456 boys), collected October 1994 through December 1995, fit a 3-factor model. Study 2 (n = 330) used survival and discriminant analyses to predict recidivism status at 3 and 6 months follow-up from FISCA scores at intake.


RESULTS
The 8 FISCA scales reduced to 3 factors describing undercontrolled aggression, social role violations, and self-focused aspects of child functional impairment. Serious impairment on the Aggression and School scales each predicted a 3-fold increase in recidivism risk. Together, impairment scores for Aggression, School, Thinking, and Delinquency correctly identified 73% of the recidivists. However, 51% of the nonrecidivists also were classified as recidivists.


CONCLUSIONS
Although these data initially support the FISCA's validity, they underscore the need for more effective strategies to identify severely impaired children whose problems will be sporadic or short-lived.
Frank
S J
SJ
Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing 48824, USA. franks@pilot.msu.edu
Paul
J S
JS
Marks
M
M
Van Egeren
L A
LA
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics; D012008:Recurrence; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012951:Socialization