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As you may have surmised from the disclaimers, our purpose here is to provide a comprehensive overview of psychosocial assessment for children who have experienced abuse, neglect, or some other traumatic event. Along the way we identify some of the key terms and definitions used to describe assessment, examine the components that are an essential part of good clinical practice, and discuss some of the challenges that arise in assessing the diverse needs of these children. We offer descriptions of potential measures , some final considerations, and available resources. DEFINITION OF TERMS Psychological Assessments The term psychological assessment is usually considered more comprehensive than the term psychological testing (Handler & Meyer, 1998). Many psychological tests are administered, scored, and interpreted almost exclusively by psychologists (e.g., projectives such as the Rorschach Inkblot Test and cognitive tests such as the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children ). Other assessment instruments are used by a diverse group of professionals with formal training in their ethical administration, scoring, and interpretation. Regardless of the professional affiliation of the assessor, instruments should be psychometrically sound, which includes good reliability and validity, and should be normed for the population for which they are being used (Conradi, Wherry, & Kisiel, 2011). Reliability is the consistency of a measure, test, or tool (or its specific items). Reliability may include consistency across time (test-retest) or across independent raters (joint or interrater ), as well as consistency within the measure itself (internal consistency). Validity is the degree to which a measure, test, or tool (or its specific items) accurately represents a psychological conDisclaimer #1. Beware! The following terms are confusing: Psychosocial assessment, biopsychosocial assessment , clinical intake, clinical interview, screening, mental status exam, psychological evaluation, psychiatric evaluation—these terms probably carry different meanings for nearly everyone reading this chapter. For the purposes of this chapter, we use the term psychosocial assessment to refer to a process for assessing the symptoms, behaviors, and treatment needs of children who have experienced maltreatment. Disclaimer #2. Bias ahead! As licensed psychologists with an interest in psychological assessment of maltreated children , we are inclined to “sell you” on some degree of formal assessment of abused children. To be clear, it is our bias that successful treatments are informed by a good assessment. Ultimately, this requires a skilled clinician who uses data to understand a client’s strengths, needs, and difficulties and for treatment planning, much as a detective uses clues in solving a mystery. In addition, in the case of child maltreatment, a good assessment should include some systematic evaluation of common symptoms associated with abuse and should utilize items that are reliable, valid, and normed. Disclaimer #3. Limited advances in assessment. In many ways, the development of reliable, valid, and normed assessments of abuse-related symptoms has lagged behind the development of evidence-based treatments for maltreated children. This is good news and, potentially at least, bad news. The good news is that maltreated children and their families are receiving some level of assistance. The potential bad news is that, without adequate assessment, children may be receiving treatment that is not appropriate. Moreover , many of the available, psychometrically sound measures for child maltreatment focus primarily on the assessment of either sexual abuse or physical abuse and not on the co-occurring or multiple forms of abuse and neglect that are often typical (Saunders, 2003). Psychosocial Assessment in Child Maltreatment JEFFREY N. WHERRY, PH.D., ABPP ERNESTINE C. BRIGGS-KING, PH.D. ROCHELLE F. HANSON, PH.D. 2 Psychosocial Assessment in Child Maltreatment 13 The same process of hypothesis testing should occur when a child who has been abused presents as irritable, unable to concentrate, and having difficulty sleeping. Rather than a comprehensive battery of tests, the clinician should ask additional questions about symptoms, obtain a history, and consider at least the possibility of the most common abuse-related sequelae, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Specific instruments might be used to screen efficiently for the presence of these disorders. Then, if one or more of the disorders appears likely, a unidimensional measure (assessing a single construct, such as depression) or set of measures might be used to explore one of these diagnoses more thoroughly. The use of specific tests might be indicated even though the tests are brief. This type of thoughtful approach to the assessment process is likely to yield a more accurate picture of the child’s problems and functioning , which can then guide decisions regarding the need for further intervention...

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