PHASE: A Life-Stage / Developmental Six-Dimensional Framework
Authors: Adam Hafez, Zat+ Research Team Version: 1.0.0 — DRAFT
Abstract
PHASE is the Zat+ companion for life-stage and developmental instruments — perinatal (EPDS, MMP), adolescent (PHQ-A, RCADS-25), aging (GDS-15, MoCA-Blind), life transitions (LEC-5, RLCQ). It explicitly models stage-typical concerns alongside symptom severity because cutoffs and interpretations differ materially by life stage.
1. Specification
1.1 Dimensions
| Code | Name | Direction | Operationalization |
|---|---|---|---|
| P | Pressure (stage-specific) | deficit | Stage-modal symptoms (e.g., postpartum mood) |
| H | Health-trajectory | deficit | Subjective health change vs prior baseline |
| A | Adaptation (to stage) | strength | Coping with stage-typical demands |
| S | Support (stage-relevant) | strength | Stage-appropriate support network |
| E | Embodiment | (varies) | Body-related stage concerns (perimenopause, puberty, aging) |
5 letters. 6th = R (Resilience-trajectory) — momentum across phase transitions.
1.2 Composite Index
PHASE_Index = round(
(100 − P) × 0.20 +
(100 − H) × 0.16 +
A × 0.20 +
S × 0.16 +
E* × 0.14 +
R × 0.14
)
(*E direction depends on stage — embodiment scoring rules per stage.)
1.3 Stage-specific norms
Stage modules each carry their own norm bands:
- Perinatal: EPDS cutoff ≥ 13 (Cox et al. 1987; Levis et al. 2020 IPD).
- Adolescent: PHQ-A ≥ 11 moderate (Richardson et al. 2010).
- Aging: GDS-15 ≥ 5 suggests depression (Yesavage 1986).
2. Comparison
| Property | EPDS alone | GDS-15 alone | PHASE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stage-specific cutoffs | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cross-stage unified | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Trajectory dimension | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Embodiment | partial | ✗ | ✓ |
References
- Cox, J. L., Holden, J. M., & Sagovsky, R. (1987). Detection of postnatal depression. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Br J Psychiatry, 150, 782-786.
- Levis, B., et al. (2020). Accuracy of the EPDS for detecting major depression in pregnant and postpartum women. BMJ, 371.
- Yesavage, J. A., et al. (1982). Development and validation of a geriatric depression screening scale (GDS). J Psychiatr Res, 17(1), 37-49.
- Richardson, L. P., et al. (2010). Evaluation of the PHQ-9 for adolescents (PHQ-A). Pediatrics, 126(6), 1117-1123.