The Mood and Feelings Questionnaire

The Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ) is a survey that measures depressive symptoms in children and young adults. It was developed by Adrian Angold and Elizabeth J. Costello in 1987, and validity data were gathered as part of the Great Smokey Mountain epidemiological study in Western North Carolina.[1] The questionnaire consists of a variety of statements describing feelings or behaviors that may manifest as depressive symptoms in children between the ages of 6 and 17. The subject is asked to indicate how much each statement applies to their recent experiences. The Mood and Feelings Questionnaire has six versions, short (13 item) and long (33 item) forms of each of the following: a youth self-report, a version that a parent would complete, and a self-report version for adults.[1] Several peer-reviewed studies have found the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire to be a reliable and valid measure of depression in children.[2] Compared to many other depression scales for youth, it has more extensive coverage of symptoms and more age-appropriate wording and content.

The Mood and Feelings Questionnaire
Purposemeasure depressive symptoms
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Scoring and interpretation

The MFQ has several tests, one short and one long, with the short questionnaire including 13 questions and the long questionnaire consisting of 33 questions.  Scoring of the MFQ works by summing the point values allocated to each question.[1] The responses and their allocated point values are as follows:

"not true" = 0 points

"somewhat true" = 1 point

"true" = 2 points

Scores on the short MFQ range from 0 to 26, whereas scores on the long version range from 0 to 66. Higher score are indicative of increased depressive symptom severity. Scores larger than 12 on the short version or larger than 27 on the long version are suggestive of likely depression and warrant further clinical assessment.[1]

Validity

The Mood and Feelings Questionnaire, along with the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire, shows reasonable psychometric properties for identifying children in early adolescence with a depressive disorder.[2] Secondly, the MFQ does not significantly differentiate between children with depression versus children with anxiety disorders.[3] Finally, the MFQ has been translated into Arabic, Spanish and Norwegian, but testing of these versions is more limited.[4]

Limitations

Questionnaires like the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire should not act as a substitute for thorough clinical evaluations for both the child and parent.[4]

References
  1. Angold, A; Costello, EJ (1988). "Scales to assess child and adolescent depression: checklists, screens, and nets". Am Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry. 27: 726–737.
  2. Rhew, Isaac; Simpson, Kate; Tracy, Melissia; Lymp, James (2010). "Criterion validity of the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire and one- and two-item depression screens in young adolescents". Child & Adolescent Psychiatry & Mental Health. 4: 9. doi:10.1186/1753-2000-4-8. PMC 2829504. PMID 20181135.
  3. Kent, L (1997). "Detection of major and minor depression in children and adolescents: evaluation of the mood and feelings questionnaire". J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 38: 565–573. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.1997.tb01543.x.
  4. Daviss, W.; Birmacher, B.; Melhem, Nadine (September 1, 2006). "Criterion validity of the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire for depressive episodes in clinic and non-clinic subjects". Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry: 927–934.

Further reading
  • "The MFQ". Center for Developmental Epidemiology. Duke University Health System. — Information about the MFQ along with PDF downloads of self- and parent-rated child MFQ and self-rated adult MFQ in both short and long versions.


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