Scale Analysis

Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale [PAIS-44]

Description

The Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale (PAIS-44) was developed by Morrow and colleagues in 1978 to assess patients’ perceptions of their adjustment to chronic illness.

Purpose and Structure

The primary purpose of the PAIS-44 is to evaluate the psychological and social adjustment of individuals living with chronic illness. It can be administered through a semi-structured interview by trained healthcare professionals or completed by the patients themselves.

The scale consists of 44 items covering seven major areas: healthcare orientation, vocational environment, domestic environment, sexual relationships, extended family relationships, social environment, and psychological distress.

Scoring and Analysis

According to the available material, the PAIS-44 produces a total score ranging from 0 to 132. Lower scores indicate better psychosocial adjustment, whereas higher scores indicate greater adjustment difficulties.

The instrument has demonstrated satisfactory reliability and validity and can be used to compare adjustment across different treatment approaches and evaluate the effectiveness of psychotherapeutic interventions.

Reference

Morrow GR, Chiarello RJ, Derogatis LR. A new scale for assessing patients’ psychosocial adjustment to medical illness. Psychological Medicine. 1978;8(4):605–610.

Tags: PAIS-44, Psychosocial Adjustment, Chronic Illness, Quality of Life, Patient Adjustment, Psychometric Assessment