One of the most frequent requests I receive is for a way to screen for the presence of hidden stresses. Most of those who inquire are interested in administering a questionnaire to patients/clients as they wait to see their clinician. No suitably brief, scientifically validated questionnaire exists that covers the full range of hidden stresses but I have created a reasonable question set and added it to the Book Overview section of this site.
There are six questions, one of which has four parts so a total of just nine responses is needed. Information to assist with interpreting the results is below the questionnaire on the same page. Questions pertaining to anxiety and depression were validated by Dr. Kroenke’s group (see recent blog postings on this). There are two questions about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) taken and slightly adapted from a validated instrument called the PTSD Check List (Civilian Version). The other questions I have used verbally with patients for over two decades to open discussion about current stresses (2 questions) and childhood stress (1 question).
This questionnaire is for screening only. It will not capture every possible stress nor is it reliable for diagnosis. It is intended to serve the important purpose of opening discussion about issues that may be linked to medically unexplained physical illness. I hope you find it useful.
Tags: Kroenke, screening, Stress History
