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The Brief Negative Symptom Scale (BNSS): Independent validation in a large sample of Italian patients with schizophrenia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 April 2020

A. Mucci ,
S. Galderisi ,
E. Merlotti ,
A. Rossi ,
P. Rocca ,
P. Bucci ,
G. Piegari ,
M. Chieffi ,
A. Vignapiano  and
M. Maj
A. Mucci
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Naples SUN, Naples, Italy
S. Galderisi*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Naples SUN, Naples, Italy
E. Merlotti
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Naples SUN, Naples, Italy
A. Rossi
Affiliation:
Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of L’Aquila, L’Aquila, Italy
P. Rocca
Affiliation:
Department of Neuroscience, Section of Psychiatry, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
P. Bucci
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Naples SUN, Naples, Italy
G. Piegari
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Naples SUN, Naples, Italy
M. Chieffi
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Naples SUN, Naples, Italy
A. Vignapiano
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Naples SUN, Naples, Italy
M. Maj
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Naples SUN, Naples, Italy
*
⁎Corresponding author at: Department of Psychiatry, University of Naples SUN, Largo Madonna delle Grazie, Naples, 80138 Italy. Tel.: +390815666504. E-mail address: silvana.galderisi@gmail.com (S. Galderisi).
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Abstract

Background

The Brief Negative Symptom Scale (BNSS) was developed to address the main limitations of the existing scales for the assessment of negative symptoms of schizophrenia. The initial validation of the scale by the group involved in its development demonstrated good convergent and discriminant validity, and a factor structure confirming the two domains of negative symptoms (reduced emotional/verbal expression and anhedonia/asociality/avolition). However, only relatively small samples of patients with schizophrenia were investigated. Further independent validation in large clinical samples might be instrumental to the broad diffusion of the scale in clinical research.

Methods

The present study aimed to examine the BNSS inter-rater reliability, convergent/discriminant validity and factor structure in a large Italian sample of outpatients with schizophrenia.

Results

Our results confirmed the excellent inter-rater reliability of the BNSS (the intraclass correlation coefficient ranged from 0.81 to 0.98 for individual items and was 0.98 for the total score). The convergent validity measures had r values from 0.62 to 0.77, while the divergent validity measures had r values from 0.20 to 0.28 in the main sample (n = 912) and in a subsample without clinically significant levels of depression and extrapyramidal symptoms (n = 496). The BNSS factor structure was supported in both groups.

Conclusions

The study confirms that the BNSS is a promising measure for quantifying negative symptoms of schizophrenia in large multicenter clinical studies.

Keywords

SchizophreniaNegative symptomsPrimary negative symptomsPoor emotion expressionAvolition
Type
Original article
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 30 , Issue 5 , July 2015 , pp. 641 - 647
Copyright
Copyright © Elsevier Masson SAS 2015

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Footnotes

1

Italian Network for Research on Psychoses: Teresa Campana, Stefania De Simone, Olimpia Gallo, Rosa Giugliano, Mario Luciano, Valentina Montefusco, Giuseppe Plescia, Gaia Sampogna (University of Naples SUN, Naples); Ileana Andriola (University of Bari); Stefano Porcelli (University of Bologna); Alessandro Galluzzo (University of Brescia); Giulia Signorini, Viola Bulgari (IRCCS Fatebenefratelli, Brescia); Federica Pinna (University of Cagliari); Maria Salvina Signorelli (University of Catania); Massimo di Giannantonio (University of Chieti); Antonello Bellomo (University of Foggia); Pietro Calcagno (University of Genoa); Rita Roncone, Paolo Stratta (University of L’Aquila); Massimiliano Buoli (University of Milan); Patrizia Zeppegno (University of Eastern Piedmont, Novara); Valeria Giannunzio (University of Padua); Carlo Marchesi (University of Parma); Liliana Dell’Osso (University of Pisa); Chiara Squarcione, Anna Comparelli (Sapienza University of Rome); Cinzia Niolu (Tor Vergata University of Rome); Palmiero Monteleone (University of Salerno); Arianna Goracci (University of Siena); Cristiana Montemagni (University of Turin).

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