LISMEN

Methodology for its use.
A questionnaire structured by developmental stages.

Methodology for its use. A questionnaire structured by developmental stages.

A questionnaire-based instrument

This is a questionnaire-based instrument that can be completed during a family interview with or without the patient, depending on the patient’s and family’s willingness.

It collects data from pregnancy through adolescence and serves as a systematic exploration or anamnesis.

In addition to specific information, the interview offers the opportunity to explore the family’s experiences regarding past events and circumstances.

  • Often, data related to gestation, birth, and early childhood are not easily recalled.

  • In a LISMEN interview, the child or adolescent may learn about facts that had not been explained to them or that they did not remember.

  • Some parents are surprised to be asked about issues they had not associated with a possible problem in their children’s emotional development.

Structure and Utility of LISMEN

The LISMEN questionnaire organizes risk factors following a biographical timeline with four developmental stages: 0 to 2 years, 3 to 5, 6 to 11, and 12 to 17 years. The items are chronologically ordered, and each risk factor has its specific section. Some are specific to a stage, such as differences in breastfeeding between siblings during the first year of life, while others are transversal and can appear at any time, such as frequent vomiting or food refusal.

For each item, it is necessary to indicate whether it is present, absent, or if it cannot be answered due to lack of information. To facilitate its use, a glossary is available on the website, although the wording of the items is usually clear enough and does not always require consulting it.

Regarding reliability and validity, several statistical studies endorse LISMEN as a useful and rigorous instrument. For reasons of space, they are not reproduced here, but you can consult and download them from the doctoral thesis available in the Documentation section.

Study Population

Samples were obtained from specific neighborhoods in Barcelona city, served by the Mental Health Unit of St. Martí Nord, managed by the Catalan Institute of Health. These samples included:

  • Individuals diagnosed with mental disorder since childhood/adolescence, who had evolved into a severe mental disorder in adulthood.

  • Children diagnosed at risk by referring services (Functional Unit for Child Care).

  • Children studied in their first year of life, born in a neighborhood with detected social difficulties.

These groups were compared with a control group of individuals and adolescents attended in family medicine and pediatric services in the area, without a mental health diagnosis.

More than 10 accumulated factors: greater vulnerability

Individuals with 10 or more accumulated risk factors showed a higher probability of developing a mental disorder throughout life (severe or transient).

Risk does not mean disorder

Being included in this risk group does not necessarily equate to developing a disorder. This will depend on the individual’s protective factors and resilience.

Prevention and psychotherapeutic support

In any case, preventive consultation and follow-up should be offered and, in some cases, the need for psychotherapeutic treatment should be assessed.

Points to Consider

01.

Statistical studies established a cutoff point: ≥10 accumulated risk factors.

02.

No significant differences were found in factorial analyses for specific items (such as attachment, family history, or educational environment).

03.

Researchers who have subsequently used LISMEN have:

Made specific item groupings.
Analyzed items in isolation in relation to other variables.

Funding

These studies were funded at different times by:

FORM

Download the questionnaire

Access the LISMEN questionnaire and use it as a structured, simple tool for detecting mental health risk factors.

Access the LISMEN questionnaire and use it as a structured, simple tool for detecting mental health risk factors.