EBD Blog

Schools in Ionia (Michigan, US) are using a test to assess emotional states (e.g., anger, depression, and anxiety) that might indicate risk for dangerous behavior such as fighting or abusing substances, according to a story in the Sentinal-Standard. In his story, Steve DeGrush reports that the Massachusetts Adolescent Youth Screening Instrument (MAYSI), “Can act as an early intervention tool, the results of which could connect parents and their child to counseling or other treatment services if the MAYSI indicates a possible ‘trigger’ symptom.”

The intention is admirable, but I found myself feeling a little skeptical about the instrument. The story described it as a list of 52 questions to be answered either “yes” or “no” and gave as examples “Have you ever felt like life wasn’t worth living?” and “Have you ever gotten in trouble while you were drunk or high?” It gave no data about the reliability or validity of the instrument.

Now, I know that for some readers, asking about reliability and validity starts to induce relaxation, a slowed heart rate, and sonorous breathing. However, whenever there’s a test that purports to provide direction, those ought to be the first questions one asks. If an instrument does not have reliability and validity, then there’s no way to say whether it does what people say it does.

So, I went on a quick search. I found:

• According to an article in the Nebraska Criminal Justice Review, Douglas County Juvenile Assessment Center appears to be using the MAYSI;
• A word processor document shows that Southern Oaks Girls School includes it in a battery of instruments that facility uses.

Next, I turned to the PsycINFO and ERIC databases. I got zero hits. Then I checked Buros Institute of Mental Measurements and got a nada, too.
I’m not a psychologist, so I guess I don’t really have the background to question this. Nevertheless, if this test is being used to serve kids and their parents, I sure hope that it is a trustworthy instrument.