New Article Feature: Adaptation and Validation of the WG/UNICEF CFM in Canadian Children and Youth

A new study led by former AYM postdoctoral fellow Emma Nolan and authored by several other AYM members examines the examine the latent structure of the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral components of the Washington Group/UNICEF Child Functioning Module (WG/UNICEF CFM).

Using data from the 2019 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth (CHSCY), the study provides evidence that the WG/UNICEF CFM is a valid tool for assessing functional difficulties in high-income settings—extending prior validation work from low- and middle-income countries. Additionally, this study suggests the measure can be adapted to represent two factors: (1) Cognitive, Behavioral, and Interpersonal Functional Difficulties, and (2) Emotional Functional Difficulties.

Based on these results, the authors conclude that the WG/UNICEF CFM demonstrates strong psychometric properties, ease of use, and limited cost that make it useful for assessing functional difficulties at the population level in countries such as Canada.

This study offers an insight into how functional difficulties might cluster in children and youth, helping to advance our understanding of child functioning across key developmental domains.

Check out the original investigation, entitled “Adaptation and Validation of the Washington Group/UNICEF Child Functioning Module in a Nationally Representative Sample of Canadian Children and Youth” authored by Dr. Emma Nolan, Dr. Katherine Cost, Ryan Miller, and Drs. Li Wang, Claire Chen, Jordan Edwards, Eric Duku, Stelios Georgiades, Peter Szatmari, Harriet MacMillian, Charlotte Waddell, and Kathy Georgiades.

This article was published in BMC Public Health in May 2025.