Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-v9fdk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T08:05:18.355Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The Validity of the SCL-90 in a Sample of British Men remanded to Prison for Psychiatric Reports

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

James H. Wilson*
Affiliation:
Henderson Hospital, Sutton, Surrey, and Department of Psychotherapy, St. George's Hospital, London SW17
Pamela J. Taylor
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF
Graham Robertson
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry
*
Correspondence

Abstract

The SCL-90 is a self-report inventory of psychopathology, which has not previously been validated in the UK. In the present study, the scale was found to correlate well with other measures of mental state, namely the Present State Examination (PSE) and the Comprehensive Psychopathological Rating Scale (CPRS). The scale was able to distinguish psychotic from non-psychotic patients on its paranoid ideation sub-scale, but not on its psychoticism one, nor any of its seven neurotic sub-scales. It is suggested that in research or population screening studies, this type of questionnaire should be supplemented with information relating to psychiatric history and motivation for treatment.

Type
Papers
Copyright
Copyright © 1985 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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

Åsberg, M., Montgomery, S. A., Perris, C., Schalling, D. & Sedvall, G. (1978) The comprehensive psychopathological rating scale. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica Supplement, 217, 527.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Derogatis, L. R., Lipman, R. S. & Covi, L. (1973) The SCL-90: an outpatient psychiatric rating scale. Psychopharmacology Bulletin, 9, 1328.Google ScholarPubMed
Derogatis, L. R., & Rickels, K. (1972) Factorial invariance of symptom dimensions in anxious and depressive neuroses. Archives of General Psychiatry, 27, 659665.Google Scholar
Derogatis, L. R., Rickels, K., Uhlenhuth, E. H. & Covi, L. (1974) The Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL): a self-report symptom inventory. Behavioural Science, 19, 115.Google Scholar
Derogatis, L. R., Lobo, A., Folstein, M. & Abeloff, M. D. (1981) The SCL-90-R as a psychiatric screening instrument in an oncologic population. Obtainable from Derogatis, L. R., Henry Phipps Clinic, John Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA.Google Scholar
Derogatis, L. R., Rickels, K. & Rock, A. F. (1976) The SCL-90 and the MMPI: a step in the validation of a new self-report scale. British Journal of Psychiatry, 128, 280289.Google Scholar
Feighner, J. P., Robins, E. E., Guze, S. B., Woodruff, R. A., Winokur, G. & Munoz, R. (1972) Diagnostic Criteria for use in Psychiatric Research. Archives of General Psychiatry, 26, 5763.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Goldberg, D. (1972) Detecting psychiatric illness by questionnaire. Maudsley Monograph No. 22. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Gunn, J., Robertson, G., Dell, S. & Way, C. (1978) Psychiatric Aspects of Imprisonment. London: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Kass, F., Charles, E., Klein, D. F. & Cohen, P. (1983) Discordance between the SCL-90 and therapists' psychopathological ratings. Archives of General Psychiatry, 40, 389393.Google Scholar
Parloff, M. B., Kelman, H. C. & Frank, J. D. (1954) Comfort, effectiveness and self-awareness as criteria for improvement in psychotherapy. American Journal of Psychiatry, 3, 343351.Google Scholar
Rickels, K., Garcia, C.-R. & Fisher, E. (1971) A measure of emotional symptom distress in private gynaecological practice. Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 38, 139146.Google Scholar
Taylor, P. & Gunn, J. (1984) Psychosis and Violence I. British Medical Journal, 1, 19451949.Google Scholar
Wing, J. K., Cooper, J. E. & Sartorius, N. (1974) The measurement and classification of psychiatric symptoms. Cambridge-Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.