Scientific background: PSC-17 (Parent)
About this test
The PSC-17 is a short form developed by Gardner and colleagues (1999) from the original, 35-item Pediatric Symptom Checklist by Jellinek and Murphy (1988). In a comparison study against the much longer Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) with 269 children, the PSC-17 showed comparable detection accuracy at a fraction of the length (Gardner et al., 2007). The three subscales correlate with different clinical presentations: attention with ADHD, internalizing symptoms with anxiety and depressive disorders, externalizing symptoms with oppositional and aggressive behavior. Like any brief screener, the PSC-17 does not replace a thorough evaluation -- its sensitivity is around 42-73% depending on the condition.
Dimensions
Total Score
Sum across all 17 items (0–34 points). Elevated at 15 points or above.
Attention
Signs of attention and impulsivity problems (can relate to ADHD).
Internalizing Symptoms
Signs of inward-directed distress like sadness, worry, or withdrawal (can relate to anxiety or depressive symptoms).
Externalizing Symptoms
Signs of outward-directed, oppositional, or aggressive behavior.
Sources & license
Gardner, W., Murphy, M., Childs, G., Kelleher, K., Pagano, M., Jellinek, M., ... & Chiappetta, L. (1999). The PSC-17: A brief pediatric symptom checklist with psychosocial problem subscales. A report from PROS and ASPN. Ambulatory Child Health, 5, 225–236.
The PSC-17 "may be freely reproduced," per the official form distributed by the University of Washington's Division of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics. Item wording, subscale assignment, and cutoffs were verified verbatim against that official form.
https://depts.washington.edu/dbpeds/Screening%20Tools/PSC-17(1).pdf