Adolescent Psychosocial Assessment Using the
HEEADSSS Screening Tool

Home environment

1. Who lives with you? Where do you live? Do you have your own room?
2. What are relationships like at home?
3. To whom are you closest at home?
4. To whom can you talk at home?
5. Is there anyone new at home? Has someone left recently?
6. Have you ever had to live away from home? (Why?)

Employment and education

1. Are you currently in school?
2. What are your favorite subjects at school? Your least favorite subjects?
3. How are your grades? Any recent changes? Any dramatic changes in the past?
4. Have you changed schools in the past few years?
5. What are your future education/employment plans/goals?
6. Are you working? Where? How much?
7. Tell me about your friends at school.

Eating

1. What do you like and not like about your body?
2. Have there been any recent changes in your weight?
3. Have you dieted in the last year? How? How often?
4. Have you done anything else to try to manage your weight?
5. How much exercise do you get in an average day? Week?
6. What do you think would be a healthy diet? How does that compare with your current eating patterns?

Activities

1. What do you and your friends do for fun? (with whom, where, and when?)
2. What do you and your family do for fun? (with whom, where, and when?)
3. Do you participate in any sports or other activities?
4. Do you regularly attend a church group, club, or other organized activity?

Drugs (substance use)

1. Do any of your friends use tobacco? Alcohol? Other drugs?
2. Does anyone in your family use tobacco? Alcohol? Other drugs?
3. Do you use tobacco? Alcohol? Other drugs?
4. Is there any history of alcohol or drug problems in your family? Does anyone at home use tobacco?

Sexuality

1. Have you ever been in a romantic relationship?
2. Tell me about the people that you’ve dated. OR Tell me about your sex life.
3. Have any of your relationships ever been sexual relationships?
4. Are your sexual activities enjoyable?
5. What does the term “safer sex” mean to you?
6. Are you interested in boys? Girls? Both?

Suicide/depression

1. Do you feel sad or down more than usual?
2. Do you find yourself crying more than usual?
3. Are you “bored” all the time?
4. Have you thought a lot about hurting yourself or someone else?

Safety (savagery)

1. Have you ever been seriously injured? (How?) How about anyone else you know?
2. Do you always wear a seat belt in the car?
3. Have you ever ridden with a driver who was drunk or high? When? How often?
4. Do you use safety equipment for sports or other physical activities (for example, helmets for biking or skateboarding)?
5. Is there any violence in your home? Does the violence ever get physical?
6. Is there a lot of violence at your school? In your neighborhood? Among your friends?
7. Have you ever been physically or sexually abused? Have you ever been raped, on a date or at any other time? (If not asked previously)

Adapted with permission from Goldenring, J. M., & Rosen, D. S. (2004). Getting into adolescent heads: An essential update. Contemporary Pediatrics, 21(1), 64–90.

 

TABLE 35–12         Age                Newborns	Normal Heart Rates for Children of Different Ages Heart Rate Range       Average Heart Rate (beats/min)                (beats/min)      100–170                            120
Infants to 2 years	80–130	110
2–6 years	70–120	100
6–10 years	70–110	90
10–16 years	60–100	85

 

TABLE 35–10    Age                       Newborn 1 year	Normal Respiratory Rate Ranges for Each Age Group Respiratory Rate per Minute                    30–60 20–40
3 years	20–30
6 years	16–22
10 years	16–20
17 years	12–20