Self-concept and physical self-concept in psychiatric children and adolescents.
Expect low PSDQ scores from teens with psychiatric diagnoses—use them as a roadmap for strength-building goals.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Rojahn et al. (2012) asked teenagers with psychiatric diagnoses to fill out the Self-Description Questionnaire.
They compared the scores to teens without mental-health diagnoses.
Girls and boys were looked at separately.
What they found
The clinical group scored lower on every self-concept domain.
Girls in both groups scored lower than boys.
The gap was largest for physical-appearance self-concept.
How this fits with other research
Cheong et al. (2013) warn that no self-concept tool has strong psychometrics for kids with cerebral palsy.
Yet Cheong et al. (2018) later showed kids with CP actually report positive self-concept when using a CP-specific tool.
This seems to clash with J’s finding of low scores, but the difference is diagnosis and tool: CP kids used a tailored measure, while psychiatric teens used the standard PSDQ.
Cary et al. (2024) add that self-report from neurodivergent youth gives unique information, so we should still ask—even if scores look low.
Why it matters
Low self-concept is part of the clinical picture, not a measurement flaw.
Screen all PSDQ domains at intake to spot the lowest areas.
Use those low scores to pick reinforcers that build mastery and praise physical skills during sessions.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Self-concept is a widely examined construct in the area of psychiatric disorders. This study compared the Physical Self-Description Questionnaire (PSDQ) scores of adolescents with psychiatric disorders (N=103) with the results of a matched group of non-clinical adolescents (N=103). Self-concept and Physical self-concept were lower in the clinical than in the non-clinical group. Girls (N=59) scored lower than boys (N=44) in both groups. In the different diagnostic groups specific domains were affected in line with symptomatology, which has implications for therapy.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2012 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2011.12.012