Problem checklist

Abstract

The Problem Checklist, developed by Joshi and Pandey (2005), is a comprehensive psychological scale designed to identify and categorize the wide array of difficulties and adjustment problems experienced by individuals, particularly students and adolescents. This self-report instrument systematically assesses the presence and perceived severity of issues across 12 distinct domains of life functioning. The checklist serves as a vital diagnostic tool for counselors and educators, providing a structured means of understanding the primary sources of individual distress, ranging from financial and academic concerns to personal-psychological and social-relational challenges.

Keywords

Problem checklist, adjustment problems, student issues, adolescent psychology, psychological scale, life domains, counseling tool, Joshi and Pandey.

Authors

Joshi, M. C., Pandey, Jagadish.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Problem Checklist is to provide a detailed, multifaceted inventory of the difficulties an individual perceives in their life. By requiring the respondent to indicate which problems apply to them, the instrument generates a profile of problem areas, which is essential for targeted intervention, counseling, and vocational guidance. It moves beyond a general measure of distress to pinpoint specific situational, interpersonal, or internal challenges requiring attention.

The scale is particularly useful in educational settings for identifying students who may require immediate psychological or academic support. The broad scope ensures that issues often overlooked in standard academic assessments—such as home life difficulties, financial stress, or moral confusion—are systematically documented and addressed.

Construct

The Problem Checklist measures the construct of perceived life difficulties and maladjustment across twelve major domains. These domains reflect a holistic view of human experience, encompassing physical, social, academic, and psychological well-being. The structure of the scale ensures that problems are not viewed monolithically but are categorized according to their source and nature.

The twelve primary domains measured by the scale are:

• Health and physical development (HPD)
• Finance, living conditions and employment (FLE)
• Social and recreational activities (SRA)
• Courtship – sex and marriage (CSM)
• Social – psychological relations (SPR)
• Personal – psychological relations (PPR)
• Moral and religion (MR)
• Home and family (HF)
• The future: vocational and educational (FVE)
• Adjustment to school work (ASW)
• Curriculum and teaching procedures (CTP)

Validity

Specific details regarding the empirical derivation of validity coefficients (such as criterion or concurrent validity) are typically contained within the original test manual (Joshi & Pandey, 2005). However, the scale exhibits strong content validity, as evidenced by the comprehensive coverage of 12 distinct life areas relevant to adolescent and student populations, ensuring that the instrument covers the full spectrum of potential adjustment difficulties.

Studies utilizing this checklist, such as Srividhya V. (2007), have demonstrated its utility in distinguishing between students with varying levels of mental health and adjustment outcomes, thereby implying adequate practical validity for diagnostic and comparative research purposes.

Reliability

While the source content does not provide specific reliability statistics (e.g., test-retest coefficients or internal consistency measures like Cronbach’s alpha), instruments of this nature are typically constructed to possess high internal consistency within each of the 12 domains. High reliability is crucial for a diagnostic checklist, ensuring that the problems identified are stable indicators of underlying adjustment issues rather than transient states. Researchers should consult the 2005 manual for detailed psychometric properties.

Factor Analysis

The structure of the scale is explicitly based on 12 hypothesized factors or domains, suggesting that the initial development likely involved exploratory or confirmatory factor analysis to confirm the distinct grouping of items into these categories. The clear differentiation between factors such as ‘Home and Family’ versus ‘Curriculum and Teaching Procedures’ indicates that the instrument aims to measure discrete, non-overlapping dimensions of difficulty. The factor structure allows practitioners to identify whether a student’s problems are concentrated in external/environmental areas (like FLE) or internal/intrapersonal areas (like PPR).

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report checklist, Diagnostic instrument.

Format: 154 items categorized into 12 domains. Respondents check items that apply to them.

Language Available: English (original item text provided) and likely regional Indian languages, given the publication context (Agra, India).

Population Group: Students and adolescents/young adults.

Age Group: Implied school-going and college-level individuals.

Population Details: Used effectively in research concerning the mental health and adjustment of students in central and state schools (Srividhya V., 2007).

Test Methodology: Pen-and-paper administration where the individual indicates the presence of a problem from the comprehensive list of 154 items. Scoring involves counting the number of problems endorsed within each of the 12 problem areas to generate a profile score.

Keywords

Health and physical development, home and family, curriculum, social-psychological relations, vocational guidance, adjustment to school work, moral and religion, personal-psychological relations.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A

Correspondence Address: National Psychological Corporation, Agra (Publisher).

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale was published in 2005 (Manual for problem checklist, Joshi & Pandey). Permissions and usage fees are managed by the publisher, National Psychological Corporation, Agra, India.

Reference’s

The original PDF detailing the usage of this instrument can be downloaded here: http://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/bitstream/1/81602/1/th9578.pdf

• Joshi‚ M. C. and Pandey‚ Jagadish.‚ (2005). Manual for problem checklist‚ published by national psychological corporation‚ Agra.
• Srividhya V. (2007). Mental health and adjustment problems of students Navodhaya central and state schools. University of Agricultural Sciences‚ Dharwad. Master of Home Science Thesis.

Items of the Problem checklist

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. Not knowing the way to spend your money wisely.
2. Not getting pocket money regularly & sufficiently.
3. having difficulty in maintaining conversation continuously.
4. Not having faith over own good social behavior.
5. Hurting the feelings of persons.
6. Becoming a topic of discussion to the other persons.
7. Being ridiculed by other persons.
8. Not keeping to code & conduct/moral standards.
9. Choosing wrong study subjects.
10. Liking those subjects which are not taught in school.
11. Study subjects not being related with daily life.
12. Not being hungry at the time of meals generally.
13. Not getting appropriate food.
14. having few good clothes in possession.
15. Giving all attention towards spending money which is to be spent.
16. Studies to be discontinued to take up a job.
17. Not enjoying those many things which others enjoy.
18. Being persuaded by others very easily.
19. Being sent to the temple by parents.
20. Not liking the prayers offered in the temple.
21. having doubt on the values of worship & prayer.
22. Not being able to live with parents due to my education.
23. Mother-Father living separately or divorced.
24. Mother or Father not alive.
25. Not having any recreation or fun with Mother or Father.
26. My family not owning a house.
27. Anxiety about occupations.
28. Eager to take up a job after school.
29. Not experiencing any good of own by school works.
30. Not having real interest in books/studies.
31. Unable to express answers with language.
32. Feeling difficulty in explaining verbally.
33. To fear in expressing to the classmates due to controversies.
34. Difficult to understand teaching of teachers.
35. To experience inconveniencies in classes.
36. having very less freedom in classes.
37. Existence of more controversies in classes.
38. Not getting sufficient outside air & sunlight in the bedroom/study room.
39. Not getting sufficient outside air & sunlight in the classroom.
40. Necessity to secure part time job.
41. having very few chances for going to cinema.
42. Slow in making friends.
43. Feeling inferior.
44. Existence of the condition of great depression.
45. To feel difficulty in deciding things.
46. To be illusioned on moral questions.
47. Parents being of old ideology.
48. Being criticized by parents.
49. Parents being in favour of brother or sister.
50. Problem with mother.
51. Death of somebody in the family.
52. Choosing the best subject for college.
53. Choosing the best subject for preparation of job & occupation.
54. Getting necessary training for any occupation.
55. Not liking the school.
56. Not being interested in studies.
57. A necessity of working too much in few subjects.
58. Being unable to move freely with some teacher.
59. Finding school/college education difficult.
60. Not having good complexion & beauty.
61. Being weak & delicate.
62. Being very short in height.
63. Being very tall.
64. Living with relatives.
65. Not having any personal room.
66. Not having any place for welcoming friends.
67. Family does not have a cycle or any other vehicle.
68. Not being permitted to use the cycle of the house.
69. To be criticized by others.
70. Own self being separated in academic works.
71. Feeling oneself very lonely.
72. Being unable to understand the actions by own self.
73. To remain unhappy for most of the time.
74. Being greedy.
75. Deceiving classmates.
76. Not having rapport with any brother or sister.
77. Necessity of knowing more regarding education in colleges.
78. Feeling difficulty in the writing answers or notes.
79. Lack of impressive personality in teacher.
80. Lack of interest of teachers in students.
81. Teachers not having cordial relations with students.
82. Not getting personal help from teachers.
83. Feeling difficulty in hearing.
84. Stammering & stuttering in speaking.
85. having specific diseases of Asthma (respiratory disease).
86. having physical diseases related to hormonal imbalance.
87. having disease relating to sex organs.
88. Mother & Father working very hard.
89. Shortage of certain facilities at home.
90. Do not like my neighbour.
91. Like to live in a separate neighbourhood.
92. To feel ashamed for the house in which we live.
93. Being very careless regarding possession & clothes.
94. Desire of becoming more popular.
95. Do not like anyone.
96. Not being loved by anyone.
97. To live away from a person you like.
98. Way of exaggerating experiences & situation.
99. Not having any merry time or comfort.
100. Lack of self-confidence.
101. Telling lie at times without any sense.
102. Unable to give up any bad habit.
103. Lack of self-control.
104. having struggle as my ideas are different from my parents.
105. To have a desire of being in a nuclear family.
106. Lack of training for any work.
107. Lack of experience in doing work.
108. To be doubtful of having ability to do any good job.
109. Not being interested in studying.
110. having poor memory.
111. Retarded or behind in studies.
112. Worrying for class/grades/distinction in the examination
113. Teachers not paying attention towards the difficulty of students.
114. Lack of good teachers.
115. Judging the ability by academic achievement/distinction/grades which is faulty system.
116. Improper (defective) academic assessment.
117. Weak or bad teeth.
118. Trouble of nose.
119. Trouble of ulcer.
120. Addiction to smoking (cigarette‚ bedi‚ etc.‚).
121. having pain in leg.
122. having trouble due to physical handicap.
123. Borrowing money.
124. To work for own personal expenses.
125. Getting low wages for my work.
126. I don’t like the present job that I am working.
127. Getting fewer occasions for doing own desired work.
128. Lack of skills in athletics & sports.
129. Not utilizing properly the leisure time.
130. Being too much jealous or envious.
131. To speak or do any work without thinking.
132. To experience that nobody understands me.
133. To feel difficulty in taking regarding own problems.
134. No one to hear my difficulties.
135. Facing too many problems.
136. Recollecting the sad childhood.
137. To be troubled with dreadful dreams.
138. Idea of suicide.
139. Not being so honest as one should be.
140. To be engaged in disputes.
141. To be inclined against attractions or greed.
142. Feeling depression or trouble in mind.
143. Friends not being greeted at home.
144. To talk regarding some problems at home.
145. Desire to leave home.
146. Not knowing what I really want.
147. Opposition by family in my decision of job.
148. Fear of doubt regarding future.
149. To be doubtful regarding military services.
150. Students not being given sufficient responsibility.
151. Not having sufficient sincerity towards school.
152. Lack of attendance in school meetings.
153. Being not attractive to opposite sex.
154. Fear of having very close relation with other group (girl/boy) friend.