Assessing psychosocial risk in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease: validation of the Psychosocial Assessment Tool 2.0_General.

AIM

The aim of this study was to present the preliminary psychometric properties of the Psychosocial Assessment Tool 2.0_General (PAT2.0_GEN), a brief screener for psychosocial risk in families of children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

METHODS

Caregivers of 42 youth with IBD were recruited and administered a battery of measures including the PAT2.0_GEN and well-validated measures of child emotional and behavioral functioning at baseline and at a 6-month follow-up.

RESULTS

Internal consistency for the PAT2.0_GEN total score was good (α=0.82). Baseline was significantly associated with the 6-month follow-up (r=0.79, P<0.001). Significant correlations between the baseline PAT2.0 _GEN total score and caregiver-reported Child Behavior Checklist total scores at baseline (r=0.74, P<0.001) and at a 6-month follow-up (r=0.62, P<0.001) support the content and predictive validity of the PAT2.0_GEN. Baseline PAT2.0_GEN was also significantly correlated with youth-reported Child Behavior Checklist total scores at baseline (r=0.37, P=0.02) but not at the 6-month follow-up (r=0.23, P=0.17).

CONCLUSIONS

A number of indicators support the concurrent and predictive utility of the PAT2.0_GEN. The PAT2.0_GEN is a promising tool for screening psychosocial risk that could facilitate the provision of psychosocial services to those patients most in need.