The GAF and psychiatric outcome : A descriptive report

• Published in: Community mental health journal Vol. 33; no. 1; pp. 35 - 41
• Main Authors: PIERSMA, H. L, BOES, J. L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Springer 01-02-1997; Behavioral Publications, etc; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; African Americans; Age Factors; Aged; Analysis of Variance; Biological and medical sciences; Bipolar disorder; Clinical medicine; Day Care, Medical - statistics & numerical data; Female; Global Assessment of Functioning Scale; Hospitals, Psychiatric - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Length of stay; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Manuals as Topic - standards; Medical sciences; Mental depression; Mental Disorders - diagnosis; Middle Aged; Multiracial people; Outcome Assessment (Health Care) - standards; Patients; Psychiatric disorders; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales - standards; Psychiatry; Psychological tests; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychometrics. Diagnostic aid systems; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Ratings & rankings; Techniques and methods; White people; Human; Hospital discharge; Follow up study; Hospital admission; Adolescent; Mental disorder; Adult; Evolution; Comparative study
• ISSN: 0010-3853; 1573-2789
• DOI: 10.1023/a:1022413110345

Since the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAF) was introduced in DSM-III-R in 1987, it has been widely used, but minimally researched. This report provides information concerning the use of the GAF in routine clinical practice. Clinicians rated adult inpatients, adult day hospital patients, and adolescent inpatients at admission and discharge from psychiatric treatment. All samples were rated as significantly less dysfunctional at discharge. There were also significant differences in mean levels of dysfunction between the adult and adolescent samples at admission and discharge. These discrepancies were hypothesized to be associated with the GAFs unclear instructional format. Although this study concerned the GAF as described in the DSM-III-R, our findings are likely to be generalizable to DSM-IV, because no substantive changes have been made to the GAF.