A NEW PICTORIAL INSTRUMENT FOR CHILD AND ADOLESCENT-PSYCHIATRY - A PILOT-STUDY

A pictorial instrument was developed to assess psychopathology in chil dren aged 6 to 16 years. Symptom pictures (n = 137) representing DSM-I II-R criteria were organized into seven diagnostic subscales. Clarity of the pictures was assessed in 31 normal children. Fifty-one psychiat ric inpatient children completed the instrument using a B-point visual analogue scale. Sensitivity to change was assessed in 15 children. Th e subscales' internal consistencies (Cronbach's alpha) ranged from 0.5 4 to 0.86. A canonical discriminant analysis among four diagnostic gro ups achieved a Wilks' lambda of 0.67 (p = 0.02). This instrument may b e a valuable adjunct to psychiatric interviews in children.