Nonpatient responses to five major adjustment scales were examined at three time-points,
two weeks apart. There was no evidence for a systematic increase in adjustment scores due
to completing the instruments. Internal consistency coefficients and test-retest stability
coefficients for the five adjustment scales show them to have utility for assessing patient
groups. Only the SCL-90 showed promise for allowing reliable assessment of individual
change over time. All five scales significantly discriminate patient groups from groups
of nonpatients. Further research is needed to clarify present results, to determine the
clinical significance of various magnitude changes on the scales, and to develop more
specific measures of adjustment and symptomatology.
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