Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Global function scales

  • Review
  • Published:
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

There is a close relationship between impairment of global functioning and mental illness. However valid measurement of global functioning is difficult, and there is no perfect scale. The instruments reviewed in this paper illustrate a range of different approaches. Despite the inherent difficulties the measurement of functioning is a critical domain in mental health evaluative research.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Affleck JW, McGuire RJ (1984) The measurement of psychiatric rehabilitation status: a review of the needs and a new scale. Br J Psychiatry 145: 517–525

    Google Scholar 

  • American Psychiatric Association (1987) Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 3rd edn revised. American Psychiatric Association. Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Baker R, Hall JN (1983) Rehabilitation evaluation of Hall and Baker (REHAB). Vine Publishing Ltd, Aberdeen, Scotland

    Google Scholar 

  • Baker R, Hall JN (1988) REHAB: a new assessment instrument for chronic psychiatric patients. Schizophr Bull 14: 95–113

    Google Scholar 

  • Ciarlo JA, Riehman J (1977) The Denver Community Mental Health Questionnaire: development of a multidimensional program evaluation. In: Coursey RD, Specter GA, Murrell SA, Hunt B (eds) Program evaluation for mental health: methods, strategies and participants. Grune & Stratton, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Clare AW, Cairns VE (1978) Design, development and use of a standardized interview to assess social maladjustment and dysfunction in community studies. Psychol Med 8: 589–604

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark A, Fiedman MJ (1983) Nine standardized scales for evaluating treatment outcomes in a mental health clinic. J Clin Psychol 39: 939–950

    Google Scholar 

  • Dohrenwend BS, Cook D, Dohrenwend BP (1981) Measurement of social functioning in community populations. In: Wing JK Bebbington P, Robbins L (eds) What is a case? Grant McIntyre, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Dworkin RJ, Friedman LC, Telschow RL, Grant KD, Moffic HS, Sloan VJ (1990) The longitudinal use of the Global Assessment Scale in multiple-rater situations. Community Ment Health J 26: 335–344

    Google Scholar 

  • Endicott J, Spitzer RL (1972a) What another rating scale? The Psychiatric Evaluation Form. J Nerv Ment Disord 154: 88–104

    Google Scholar 

  • Endicott J, Spitzer RL (1972b) Current and Past Psychopathology Scales (CAPPS): rationale, reliability, and validity. Arch Gen Psychiatry 27: 678–687

    Google Scholar 

  • Endicott J, Spitzer RL, Fleiss JL, Cohen J (1976) The Global Assessment Scale. Arch Gen Psychiatry 33: 766–771

    Google Scholar 

  • Fernando T, Mellsop G, Nelson K, Peace K, Wilson J (1986) The reliability of axis V of DSM-III. Am J Psychiatry 143: 752–755

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldman HH, Skodol AE, Lave TR (1992) Revising axis V for DSM-IV: a review of measures of social functioning. Am J Psychiatry 149: 1148–1156

    Google Scholar 

  • Hogarty GE, Katz MM (1971) Norms of adjustment and social behaviour. Arch Gen Psychiatry 25: 470–480

    Google Scholar 

  • Hurry J, Sturt E (1981) Social performance in a population sample: relation to psychiatric symptoms. In Wing JK, Bebbington P, Robbins L (eds) What is a case? Grant McIntyre, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Kane RA, Kane RL, Arnold S (1985) Measuring social functioning in mental health studies: concepts and instruments. Mental Health Service System Reports, Series DN No. 5 NIMH

  • Katz MM, Lyerly SB (1963) Methods for measuring adjustment and social behaviour in the community: 1. rationale, description, discriminative validity and scale development. Psychol Res 13: 503–535

    Google Scholar 

  • Luborsky L (1962) Clinicians' judgements of mental health. A proposed scale. Arch Gen Psychiatry 7: 407–417

    Google Scholar 

  • Luborsky L, Bachrach H (1974) Factors influencing clinician's judgements of mental health. Arch Gen Psychiatry 31: 292–299

    Google Scholar 

  • Mezzich JE, Fabrega H Jr, Coffman GA (1987) Multiaxial characterization of depressive patients. J Nerv Ment Disord 175: 339–346

    Google Scholar 

  • Paykel ES (1972) Correlates of a depressive typology. Arch Gen Psychiatry 27: 203–210

    Google Scholar 

  • Plakun EM, Muller JP, Burkhardt PE (1987) The significance of borderline and schizotypal overlap. Hillside J Clin Psychiatry 9: 47–54

    Google Scholar 

  • Remington M, Tyrer P (1979) The social functioning schedule—a brief semistructured interview. Soc Psychiatry 14: 151–157

    Google Scholar 

  • Rey JM, Plapp JM, Stewart GW, Richards IN, Bashir MR (1987) Reliability of the psychosocial axes of DSM-III in an adolescent population. Br J Psychiatry 150: 228–234

    Google Scholar 

  • Rey JM, Stewart GW, Plapp JM, Bashir MR, Richards IN (1988) Validity of axis V of DSM-III and other measures of adaptive functioning. Acta Psychiatr Scand 77: 534–542

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosen A, Hadzi-Pavlovic D, Parker G (1989) The Life Skills Profile: a measure assessing function and disability in schizophrenia. Schizophr Bull 15: 325–337

    Google Scholar 

  • Schrader G, Gordon M, Harcourt R (1986) The usefulness of DSM-III axis IV and V assessments. Am J Psychiatry 143: 904–907

    Google Scholar 

  • Schubert C, Krumm B, Biehl H, Schwarz R (1986) Measurement of social disability in a schizophrenic patient group: definition, assessment and outcome over two years in a cohort of schizophrenic patients of recent onset. Soc Psychiatry 21: 1–9

    Google Scholar 

  • Skodol AE, Link BG, Shrout PE, Horwath E (1988) Toward construct validity for DSM III axis V Psychiatry Res 24: 13–23

    Google Scholar 

  • Spitzer RL, Forman JBW (1979) DSM-III field trials, II: initial experience with the multiaxial system. Am J Psychiatry 136: 818–820

    Google Scholar 

  • Spitzer RL, Endicott J, Fleiss JL, Cohen J (1970) The Psychiatric Status Schedule: a technique for evaluating psychopathology and impairment in role functioning. Arch Gen Psychiatry 23: 41–55

    Google Scholar 

  • Wallace CJ (1986) Functional assessment in rehabilitation. Schizophr Bull 12: 604–624

    Google Scholar 

  • Weissman MM, Sholomskas D, John K (1981) The assessment of social adjustment: an update. Arch Gen Psychiatry 38: 1250–1258

    Google Scholar 

  • Westermeyer J (1988) DSM-III psychiatric disorders among Hmong refugees in the United States: a point prevalence study. Am J Psychiatry 145: 197–202

    Google Scholar 

  • Westermeyer J, Neider J (1988) Social networks and psychopathology among substance abusers. Am J Psychiatry 145: 1265–1269

    Google Scholar 

  • World Health Organisation (1988) WHO Psychiatric Disability Assessment Scale (WHO/DAS). WHO, Geneva

    Google Scholar 

  • Wykes T, Sturt E (1986) The measurement of social behavour in psychiatric patients: an assessment of the reliability and validity of the SBS schedule. Br J Psychiatry 48: 1–11

    Google Scholar 

  • Wykes T (1992) The assessment of severely disabled psychiatric patients for rehabilitation. In: Kavanagh D (ed) Schizophrenia: an overview and practical handbook. Chapman Hall, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Wykes T, Hurry J (1991) Social behaviour and psychiatric disorder. In: Bebbington P, (ed) Social psychiatry: theory, methodology and practice. Transactional Publishers, New Brunswick

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. PRiSM, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, SE5 8AF, London, UK

    M. Phelan & T. Wykes

  2. Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 645 West Redwood St., 21201, Baltimore, MD, USA

    H. Goldman

Authors
  1. M. Phelan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. T. Wykes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. H. Goldman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Phelan, M., Wykes, T. & Goldman, H. Global function scales. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 29, 205–211 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00796379

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00796379

Keywords

Search

Navigation