Towards the development of an “emergency” scale for adolescents: a theoretical and methodological proposal

The growing number of adolescents seeking psychological support highlights the urgent need for rapid and reliable screening tools that can be effectively used in both clinical and non-clinical contexts, such as hospitals triage, cooperatives, family centers, and schools. Existing instruments, including the HEADS-ED, RADS-2, SCARED, SDQ, SIQ, C-SSRS, YRBSS, MSPSS, and CASSS, offer valuable insights into adolescent functioning but are often lengthy, domain-specific, and linguistically complex, thus limiting their suitability for emergency or first-line interventions where time, resources, and expertise are constrained. In many different settings, there is a shortage of specialized mental-health professionals capable of conducting full diagnostic evaluations, so that front-line workers often face the challenge of distinguishing transient developmental difficulties from early signs of psychological distress. A brief and user-friendly screening instrument could therefore serve as an essential first step in identifying adolescents at-risk, guiding timely referral to appropriate services, and preventing the escalation of untreated mental health problems. Beyond access to formal services, research consistently shows that perceived support plays a decisive protective role in adolescent mental health: feeling that help is accessible, even when not actively sought, fosters a sense of safety, belonging, and resilience. This thesis presents a bibliographic review of some of the most widely used adolescent assessment tools, analysing their structure, constructs, and applicability in urgent or resource-limited settings. Based on this review, it proposes a conceptual and methodological framework for the development of an Emergency Psycho-Social Support Scale (EPSSS), a brief, multidomain screening tool (8 items across 4 domains) designed for quick administration and preliminary risk detection. The proposed framework emphasizes brevity, multidimensionality, and cultural adaptability, aiming to bridge the gap between research and real-world practice. It includes illustrative items addressing emotional distress, risk behaviors, perceived social support, and social functioning. Theoretically, this work contributes to defining the essential characteristics of rapid, flexible, and inclusive screening tools for adolescents. Practically, it provides a structured approach that can assist professionals to recognize early signals of distress and to activate appropriate referral pathways. Furthermore, it opens perspectives for future applications also in the digital worlds, such as app-based or online screeners, to enhance accessibility, prevention, and early intervention in adolescent mental health care.