Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gxg78 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T18:21:41.617Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Measuring patient response biases by means of a new self-rated questionnaire evaluating severity of depression

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

J Brébion ,
M Smith  and
JF Allilaire
J Brébion
Affiliation:
Hôpital de la Salpétrière, 47 bd de l’Hôpital, 75013, Paris
M Smith*
Affiliation:
Hôpital de la Salpétrière, 47 bd de l’Hôpital, 75013, Paris
JF Allilaire
Affiliation:
Hôpital de la Salpétrière, 47 bd de l’Hôpital, 75013, Paris
*
*Correspondence and reprints: Service du Pr Widlöcher, Hôpital de la Salpétrière, 47 bd de l’Hôpital, 75651, Paris Cedex 13, France
Get access

Summary

We present here a new instrument of measurement for systematic biases in patient response style when evaluating severity of depression, in the form of a self-rated questionnaire derived from the MMPI containing 37 items rating depressive severity (DSS), 15 items of the L scale, 27 items of the K scale, and 51 items of the F scale, making a total of 130 yes-no items. The scores of these 4 scales allow an estimation not only of depressive severity, but also of the attitude of the subject towards his own style of symptom reporting: “defense” and desire to appear “normal”, or on the contrary tendency towards exaggeration. In a population of 66 depressives, this instrument was correlated with the MADRS depression rating scale (P < 0.0001), which shows its sensitivity to depressive severity. The F scale and Gough’s index (F-K) were also shown to be correlated with MADRS scores. This self-rated questionnaire constitutes a clinical instrument that is simple and practical both to administer and to correct.

Keywords

auto-questionnairedepressionpsychometryresponse
Type
Original article
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 6 , Issue 4 , 1991 , pp. 187 - 194
Copyright
Copyright © Elsevier, Paris 1991

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

American Psychiatric Association (1980) DSM III Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders American Psychiatric Association, Washington DC, 3rd ednGoogle Scholar
Anastasi, A (1988) Test-taking attitudes and response biasesIn: Psychological Testing (Anastasi, A, ed) Macmillan, NY, 6th edn, 549–555Google Scholar
Bech, PAllerup, LFGram, Net al (1981) Evaluation of objectivity using logistical models Acta Psychiatr Scand 63, 290–299CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beck, ATWard, CHMendelsohn, MMock, JErbaugh, J (1961) An inventory for measuring depression Arch Gen Psychiatry 4, 561–571CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Carroll, BJFeinberg, MSmouse, PEet al (1981) The Carroll Rating Scale for Depression: 1. Development, reliability, and validation Br J Psychiatry, 138, 194–200CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dahlstrom, WGWelsh, GS (1960) An MMPI Hand book The University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, MNGoogle Scholar
Derogatis, LRRickels, KRock, AF (1976a) The SCL-90 and the MMPI: a step in the validation of a new selfreport scale Br J Psychiatry 128, 280–289CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Derogatis, LRAbeloff, MMcBeth, C (1976b) Cancer patients and their physicians in the perception of psychological symptoms Psychosomatics 17, 197–201CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hamilton, M (1960) A rating scale for depression J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 23, 56–62CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hamilton M (1976) Comparative value of rating scales. Br J Clin Pharmacol (suppl) 58–60CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hathaway, SR (1942) A multiphasic personality schedule (Minnesota): the measurement of symptomatic depression J Psychol 14, 73–84CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Montgomery, SMAsberg, M (1979) A new depression rating scale designed to be sensitive to change Br J Psychiatry 134, 382–389CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Morgado, ARaoux, NSmith, MAllilaire, JF (1989) Subjective bias in reports of poor work adjustment in depressed patients Acta Psychiatr Scand 80, 541–547CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Morgado, ASmith, MLecrubier, YWidlöcher, D (1991) Depressed patients unwittingly overreport social maladjustment which they reappraise when recoveredJ Nerv Ment Dis (in press)Google Scholar
Shain, BNNaylor, MAlessi, N (1990) Comparison of selfrated and clinician-rated measures of depression in adolescents Am J Psychiatry 147, (6), 793–795Google Scholar
Silver, RJIsaacs, KMyearsky, P (1981) MMPI correlates of affective disorders J Clin Psychol 37, 836–8393.0.CO;2-X>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Snaith, RPtaylor, CM (1985) Rating scale for depression and anxiety: a current perspective Br J Clin Pharmacol 19, 17S–20SCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Snaith, RPHarrop, FMNewby, DATeale, C (1986) Grade scores of the Montgomery — Asberg and the Clinical Anxiety Scales Br J Psychiatry, 148, 599–601CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Teasdale, JD (1983) Negative thinking in depression: cause, effect, or reciprocal relationship? Adv Behav Res Ther 5, 3–25CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vincent, KR (1983) MMPI code types and DSM III diagnoses J Clin Psychol 39 (6), 829–8363.0.CO;2-6>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Welsh, GSDahlstrom, WG (1956) Basic Readings on the MMPI in Psychology and Medicine University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, MNGoogle Scholar
Wenziatt, RMGrozier, SA (1988) Depression and the magnification of failure J Abnorm Psychol 97, 90–99Google Scholar
Widlocher, DJ (1983) Psychomotor retardation: clinical, theoretical, and psychometric aspects In: The Psychiatric Clinics of North America (Akiskal, HG, ed) WB Saunders, PA, vol 6, 27–40Google ScholarPubMed
Widlocher, DJGhozlan, A (1989) The measurement of retardation in depressionIn: Human Psychopharmacology: Measurements and Methods (Hindmarch, IStonier, PD, eds) Wiley, NY, 1st edn, vol 2, 1–22Google Scholar
Zigmond, ASSnaith, RP (1983) The hospital anxiety and depression scale Acta Psychiatr Scand 67, 361–370CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.