Brief Description
The Behavior and Feelings Survey is an assessment designed to measure emotional and behavioral health in children and adolescents. It includes both a youth self-report form and a caregiver report form. Respondents rate how often they or their child have experienced specific thoughts, emotions, and behaviors during the past week (e.g., "I feel sad or down") using a standardized rating scale. This tool is used to track changes in mental health symptoms over time, particularly in therapeutic and research settings. Items are rated on a scale from 0 (“Not a problem”) to 4 (“A very big problem”). This tool is used to track changes in mental health symptoms over time, particularly in therapeutic and research settings.
Assessment Administration Type
Child/Adolescent Self-Report or Parent/Caregiver Report
Number of questions
12
Age Range for Administration
The Youth Report is typically administered to youth ages 7–18 and the Caregiver Report is administered to caregivers of youth in that same age range.
Recommended Frequency of Administration
No recommended standard frequency; Blueprint recommends administration at intake and regularly during treatment (e.g., biweekly or monthly) to monitor symptom changes.
Summary of Scoring and Interpretations
Responses are scored based on frequency ratings, with higher scores indicating greater severity of emotional or behavioral difficulties. Each item on the BFS is rated on a scale from 0 to 4, where 0 = Not a Problem and 4 = A very big problem. The BFS is composed of two subscales: Internalizing Problems and Externalizing Problems.
Subscale score calculations:
Subscales | Question Numbers | Scoring Range |
Internalizing Problems | 1-6 | 0 - 24 |
Externalizing Problems | 7-12 | 0 - 24 |
Currently, the BFS does not have established cut-off scores to categorize the severity of problems (e.g., mild, moderate, severe). Instead, it serves as a tool for tracking changes in problem severity over time, allowing clinicians to monitor treatment progress and adjust interventions accordingly.In the absence of standardized cut-off scores, clinicians are advised to use the BFS as a means to observe trends and patterns in an individual's responses across multiple administrations. Changes in scores can indicate improvements or deteriorations, informing clinical decision-making.
Blueprint Adjustments
Blueprint provides total scores for each of the two subscales listed above. Clinicians should ignore the total score interpretation shown in Blueprint. Blueprint also is not able to add in the subtitles “Thoughts and Feelings” before question 1 and “Conduct and Behavior” before question 7.
Clinical Considerations
Estimated completion time: 3-6 minutes
Suitable for use in various clinical and school settings.
Consider developmental and literacy levels when administering to younger children.
The caregiver report form provides an additional perspective on the child's mental health, which may differ from the youth's self-report.
It's important to note that while the BFS is a useful tool for monitoring symptoms, it should not replace comprehensive clinical evaluations. Significant scores or notable changes in scores should prompt further assessment by qualified mental health professionals.
Citation
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