The Preschool Age Psychiatric Assessment

Abstract

Abstract This chapter describes the Preschool Age Psychiatric Assessment (PAPA), a structured diagnostic parent-administered psychiatric interview about children ages 2–5 (24 months through 72 months) that assesses parent-reported psychiatric symptoms, disorders, and impairment in preschool children. The PAPA also assesses school or day-care functioning, family structure and functioning, parenting behaviors, adverse life events, and a host of demographic variables including socioeconomic status (Egger, Ascher, & Angold, 1999). Also described is the ePAPA, a web-based tool for administering the PAPA electronically. The PAPA is derived from the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Assessment, an interview for children ages 9–18 years old. The PAPA, the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Assessment, and now the Young Adult Psychiatric Assessment comprise a suite of interviews that employ a consistent approach to the assessment of psychopathology in childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood. The chapter reviews the history of the PAPA’s development and describes the structure, content, reliability, and uses of the PAPA in research. Implications for clinical practice are also discussed.