Pediatric Emotional Distress Scale

Overview

The Pediatric Emotional Distress Scale (PEDS) is an assessment tool designed to measure symptoms of emotional distress in children. Specifically developed to identify emotional difficulties arising in response to traumatic events, this scale is widely used in clinical and research settings to quickly and reliably assess children's emotional state.

Purpose

The primary purpose of PEDS is to detect symptoms of emotional distress in children (such as anxiety, depression, and withdrawal) and measure their intensity. The scale provides clinicians with important information about children's emotional well-being, enabling early intervention.

Structure

PEDS consists of 21 items completed by parents or caregivers. The items are designed to reflect the child's behavior and emotional state over the past month. Each item is rated on a 3-point Likert scale ("Never", "Sometimes", "Often"). The scale includes three subscales: anxiety, depression, and withdrawal.

Areas of Application

• Clinical assessment: Screening and monitoring of emotional distress symptoms in children
• Research: Study of post-trauma emotional responses
• School environment: Identification of children with emotional difficulties
• Crisis intervention: Assessment of emotional state following disasters or traumatic events

Psychometric Properties

Validity and reliability studies of PEDS demonstrate that the scale reliably measures emotional distress in children. Internal consistency coefficients (Cronbach's alpha) for the subscales range between 0.70 and 0.85. The scale's convergent and discriminant validity has been confirmed in multiple studies.