For Professionals

This study focuses on improving the assessment of adolescent mental health by addressing methodological limitations in traditional self-report measures, including cultural biases, introspective deficits, and social desirability effects. It builds on prior research to refine two experimental tasks: an updated version of the Frith-Happé Animations (FHA), which assesses empathy and related cognitive processes using contemporary norms and decoy measures, and the Disguised Ambiguous Scenarios for Adolescents (DASA), which evaluates biases in interpretation (e.g., social rejection, self-serving attributions, and negative self-evaluation) through ecologically valid, fictional scenarios.

 

These tools aim to identify transdiagnostic markers associated with psychiatric conditions, such as anxiety, depression, and eating disorders, providing a framework for understanding cognitive and emotional mechanisms that underpin adolescent vulnerability. The ultimate goal is to enhance data reliability in developmental psychopathology research and support the development of early intervention strategies.