Abnormal psychosocial situations. Preliminary results of a WHO and a German multicenter study.

The World Health Organization (WHO) provided instructions for field trials with the completely revised psychosocial axis of the MAS (Multiaxial classification scheme in child and adolescent psychiatry). A description is given of the purpose, the stages and the procedures of the field trials, the participating centres and the samples. The results of the studies concerning applicability and reliability are given and discussed, as well as those of a quasi validity study, in a comparison of anxiety disorders and disruptive behaviour disorders.

Classification of abnormal psychosocial situations: preliminary report of a revision of a WHO scheme.

A WHO working group undertook a radical revision of the psychosocial axis for the classification of abnormal psychosocial situations. The rationale for the revision and the approach taken is described, together with the overall structure of the coding scheme and the subcodings within each category.

The reliability of axis V of the multiaxial classification scheme.

In a reliability study concerning axis V (abnormal psychosocial situations) of the Multiaxial classification scheme for psychiatric disorders in childhood and adolescence, it was found that the level of agreement in scoring was adequate for only 2 out of 12 categories. A proposal for a modification of axis V was made, including a differentiation and regrouping of the categories and an adjustment of the descriptions in the glossary. With this modification of axis V another reliability study was carried out, in which the level of agreement in scoring was adequate for 12 out of 16 categories.