Description

The Psychiatric Evaluation Form (PEF-19) is a clinical assessment instrument developed by Spritzer and colleagues in 1972. It is designed to evaluate different dimensions of psychopathology and includes 19 dimensions, such as anxiety, depression, social isolation, hallucinations, and antisocial tendencies.

The instrument also allows for the assessment of the overall severity of illness and includes components related to the individual’s level of functioning in important social roles, including those of parent, employee, student, homemaker, and partner.

Aim

The main aim of the PEF-19 is to provide a systematic assessment of an individual’s psychopathological status and overall clinical severity. Its multidimensional structure makes it possible to examine different psychiatric symptoms together with aspects of everyday and social functioning.

By incorporating information about major social roles, the instrument can also contribute to a broader understanding of the extent to which psychopathology affects daily functioning and social participation.

Structure and Scoring

The PEF-19 consists of 19 items, each of which is scored separately on a scale ranging from 1 to 6. According to the source material, the assessment is based on personal interviews with patients using a specific evaluation form and refers to the individual’s condition during the previous month.

The available material also states that higher scores on the scale are associated with a lower probability of readmission.

Reliability and Validity

The PEF-19 is described in the source material as a reliable measure for evaluating patients’ clinical condition. Reported psychometric indicators include sensitivity of 0.89 and specificity of 0.96 for the assessment of overall severity.

Regarding internal consistency, a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.75 is reported, indicating satisfactory reliability for the assessment of psychopathological status.

Applications

The PEF-19 may be used in psychiatric and clinical assessment, as well as in research examining psychopathological severity, functional status, and patient outcomes.

Its use may contribute to the initial assessment of the clinical picture, the monitoring of changes over time, and the examination of relationships between psychiatric symptoms and different aspects of everyday and social functioning.

References

Tomaras, V. (1984). Clinical and diagnostic recognition of psychopathology cases in the general population (Doctoral dissertation, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Health Sciences, Department of Medicine).

Reus, V. I., Fochtmann, L. J., Bukstein, O., Eyler, A. E., Hilty, D. M., Horvitz-Lennon, M., et al. (2018). The American Psychiatric Association practice guideline for the pharmacological treatment of patients with alcohol use disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 175(1), 86–90.