BioPsychoSocial Assessment Tools for the Elderly - Assessment Summary Sheet

Test: Modified Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF)

Year: 1993

Domain: Psychological

Assessment Tool Category: Mental Functioning

Variations/Translations: The original GAF scale is less detailed and is more complicated in regards to scoring the test.

Setting: Clinical Setting

Method of Delivery: Health professional

Description: The Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) is a numeric scale used by mental health clinicians and doctors to determine the occupational, social and psychological functioning of adults. The GAF is a scale with 10 items matched on a 1-90 scale in a 10-point interval. The scale has been included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder–III-Revised (DSM-III-R).

Scoring/Interpretation: Patients who score low on the scale are diagnosed with mental disorders and may be suicidal. Participants who score closer to 100 have superior functioning.

Time to Administer: Less than 5 minutes.

Availability: Available online (see website).

Software: N/A

Website: http://www.bsu.edu/csh/ssrc/media/pdf/gafpage.pdf

Quantitative/Qualitative: Quantitative

Validity (Quantitative): The modified GAF and the original GAF were compared to each other to determine the validity and reliability scores. The validity showed high correlation of 0.80 between the two sets. Also, the modified GAF was correlated with a depression assessment and showed a correlation of 0.70 (Caldecott-Hazard & Hall, 1995).

Reliability (Quantitative): The interrater reliability of the GAF is 0.90, excellent reliability (Caldecott-Hazard & Hall, 1995).

References:

Caldecott-Hazard, S., & Hall, R.C.W. (1995). Global assessment of functioning: A modified scale. Psychosomatics, 36(2), 267-275.

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