Pediatric Emotional Distress Scale (PEDS)
Recommended frequency: Every 4 weeks
Summary
The Pediatric Emotional Distress Scale (PEDS) is a 21-item measure that assesses the severity of symptoms that may be exhibited in children (i.e., ages 2-10) after exposure to a distressing or traumatic event. The child’s parent or caregiver rates symptom frequency on a 4-point Likert scale based on their observations over the past month. 17 of the items assess general behaviours, whereas four items inquire about trauma-specific symptoms. Each item corresponds to one of the following subscales: Anxious/Withdrawn (e.g. “Seems sad and withdrawn”), Fearful (e.g. “Refuses to sleep alone”), and Acting Out (e.g. “Has temper tantrums”). It is NOT intended to be used as a diagnostic tool for PTSD and does not assess all PTSD symptoms.
Psychometric Properties
The PEDS has acceptable internal consistency amongst its subscales (αs = .72 – .78) and good internal consistency (α = .85) for the total scale. However, it does demonstrate poor test-retest reliability over a period of 6-8 weeks (rs = .55-.61).
Source:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10070608
- https://www.nctsn.org/measures/pediatric-emotional-distress-scale
The Scale
Please select the answer for each question to describe how often your child has shown each behaviour in the LAST MONTH.
Scoring
Symptom severity is determined by assigning 1-4 to the response categories of “almost never”, “sometimes”, “often”, and “very often”, respectively. The total score is calculated by adding these values. Scores range from 17-84. Higher scores indicate greater symptom severity.
A cutoff score of 28 or higher indicates symptom severity of clinical significance and a greater likelihood of childhood trauma. Developers of the scale caution that a different cutoff may be warranted based on maternal education, as evidenced by previous research.
There are three subscales within the measure:
- Anxious/Withdrawn (items 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, and 16). Clinical cut-off is 9.5.
- Fearful (items 3, 4, 5, 6, and 10). Clinical cut-off is 8.5.
- Acting Out (items 1, 2, 11, 12, 13, and 17). Clinical cut-off is 13.5.
Items 18 to 21 relate to a specific trauma or stressor the child has experienced. These questions will only be answered if a child has experienced a major trauma or stress in the past year.
Copyright Information
Saylor, C.F, Swenson, C. C., Reynolds, S.S., & Taylor, M. (1999). The Pediatric Emotional Distress Scale: A brief screening measure for young children exposed to traumatic events. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 28:1, 70-81.
