Y-PSC
ValidatedPediatric Symptom Checklist – Youth Report (Y-PSC)
11 – 18 yearsSelf~5 min35 questions
Please mark under the heading that best fits you.
Report details · optional
Shown on the report and stored with the screening record. Use initials or a code, not full names.
Answers, results and report details are recorded by OpenScreener to monitor and improve the service. Privacy
About this screener — evidence, source, alternatives
The same 35 psychosocial items as the parent PSC, worded for young people to rate themselves never, sometimes or often. Useful alongside the parent form, since adolescents often report internalising symptoms that parents miss.
Evidence · validated
The Bright Futures instructions give a Y-PSC cut-off of 30 or higher; positive screens indicate a need for further evaluation, with about two in three positive screens showing moderate-to-serious psychosocial impairment in past studies. The self-report form was evaluated in school-age youth by Pagano et al. (2000); sensitivity and specificity vary by sample, so treat a positive score only as a prompt for assessment.
Free alternative to
- Youth Self-Report (YSR/ASEBA) · ASEBA
Paid adolescent broad-band self-report; the Y-PSC is a free brief alternative for primary care. - SDQ self-report · Youthinmind
Free on paper, but electronic versions are restricted by the rights holder.
Source & licence
Pagano ME, Cassidy LJ, Little M, Murphy JM, Jellinek MS. Identifying psychosocial dysfunction in school-age children: the Pediatric Symptom Checklist as a self-report measure. Psychol Sch. 2000;37(2):91–106. Jellinek MS, Murphy JM, Massachusetts General Hospital.
Licence: Free to use — Massachusetts General Hospital distributes the forms for free download
Cut-off and scoring rules are from the Bright Futures PSC instructions for use (brightfutures.org), which state the Y-PSC can be given to adolescents aged 11 and up. Reproduced with attribution; rights holders can contact us to correct or remove.
Official source ↗