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Instructions to the child: On the DSM-5 Level 1 cross-cutting questionnaire that you just completed, you indicated that during the past 2 weeks you have been bothered by “stomachaches, headaches, or other aches and pains” and/or being “worried about your health or about getting sick” at a mild or greater level of severity. The questions below ask about these feelings in more detail and especially how often you have been bothered by a list of symptoms during the past 7 days.
Adapted from Physical Symptoms (PHQ-15) for research and evaluation purposes.
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). DSM-5 Level 2—Somatic symptom—Child age 11–17 (adapted from the Patient Health Questionnaire-15).
Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., & Williams, J. B. W. (2002). The PHQ-15: Validity of a new measure for evaluating the severity of somatic symptoms. Psychosomatic Medicine, 64(2), 258–266.
Reference
Screening Disclaimer
This tool serves a screening purpose and is not a diagnostic measure. Results are intended to support awareness and may be shared with a qualified healthcare or mental health professional. The website and its administrators disclaim responsibility for decisions or outcomes based on the use or interpretation of this screening.
The DSM-5 Level 2—Somatic Symptom—Child Age 11–17 is an adaptation of the 15-item Patient Health Questionnaire Physical Symptoms (PHQ-15) that assesses the domain of somatic symptoms in children and adolescents. Items 4 and 11 are specific to adults and therefore blacked out on this child version of the measure. The measure is completed by the child prior to a visit with the clinician. Each item asks the child to rate the severity of his or her somatic symptoms during the past 7 days
Each item on the PHQ-15 is rated on a 3-point scale (0=not bothered at all; 1=bothered a little; 2= bothered a lot). The total score can range from 0 to 26, with higher scores indicating greater severity of somatic symptoms. The clinician is asked to review the score of each item on the measure during the clinical interview and indicate the raw score for each item in the section provided for “Clinician Use.” For this adapted PHQ-15, if all 13 items are answered, the scores on the 13 items should be summed to obtain a total raw score. The total raw score should then be prorated to a score out of 30 so that the Interpretation Table below can be used to determine the severity of the child’s somatic symptoms. The prorated score is obtained by multiplying the total raw score by 15 and dividing the value obtained by 13.
Prorated Score (if all 13 items answered) =
(Total Raw Score x 15)
——————————————————
13
0 – 4
Minimal
5 – 9
Low
10 – 14
Medium
15 – 21
High
Note: If 9 or fewer of the 13 items are answered on the adapted PHQ-15 (i.e., more than 25% of the total items are missing), the total scores should not be calculated. Therefore, the child should be encouraged to complete all of the items on the measure. If 10 to 12 items are answered, you are asked to prorate the raw score by first summing the scores for the items that were answered to get a partial raw score. Next, multiply the partial raw score by 15. Finally, divide the value by the number of items that were actually answered to obtain the prorated total raw score.
Prorated Score (if 10-12 items answered) =
(Partial Raw Score x 15)
——————————————————————-
Number of items that were actually answered
If the result is a fraction, round to the nearest whole number. The prorated total raw score should be interpreted using the Interpretation Table above.
To track change in the severity of the child’s somatic symptoms over time, the measure may be completed at regular intervals as clinically indicated, depending on the stability of the child’s symptoms and treatment status. Consistently high scores on a particular domain may indicate significant and problematic areas for the
child that might warrant further assessment, treatment, and follow-up. Your clinical judgment should guide your decision.
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