Assessing social functioning and disability: initial exploratory psychometric findings of a promising instrument in adolescents with chronic illness

Abstract

ABSTRACT Social competence is crucial to functioning in youth with chronic medical conditions. Developmentally sensitive measures of social functioning in this population can aid clinicians in identifying skill deficits and informing treatment interventions that improve social competence. The study explored the psychometric properties of a proposed social functioning measure utilizing data obtained from a clinical sample of chronically ill adolescents enrolled in an evidence-based manualized psychosocial treatment program. Initial exploratory findings support the potential for the SDI to be a valid, reliable, and clinically sensitive measure of adolescent social functioning in teens experiencing functional disability associated with their chronic health conditions.