Stress and Adjustment Disorder Section of WHO Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN)--Thai version: validity and reliability study.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the validity and reliability of the Thai version of the Stress and Adjustment Disorder section of WHO Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN) version 2.1. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The SCAN interview version 2.1 Stress and Adjustment Disorder section was translated into Thai and its content validity tested by back translation. The linguistic clarity of the psychiatric schedules for Thais from the country's four regions was tested by psychiatrists competent in the use of the schedules and aware of their underlying objectives. The reliability of SCAN: Stress and Adjustment Disorder section was tested between June and November 2006 on 30 participants, including 18 patients with stress-related disorders (adjustment disorder post-traumatic stress disorder, acute stress reaction) and 12 normal volunteers. RESULTS: Based on reactions from the sample and consultations from competent psychiatrists, content validity was established The duration of interviews for the Stress and Adjustment Disorder section averaged 17.92 min (25.59 for patients with stress-related disorders and 6.41 for normal subjects). The respective mean inter- and intra-rater reliability kappa was 0.90 (SD = 0.12) and 0.94 (SD = 0.09). A respective 77.05% and 85.26% of the items reached a substantial to almost perfect level of inter- and intra-rater agreement. CONCLUSION: The Stress and Adjustment Disorder section of the WHO Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN Thai Version) is demonstrably an effective tool for diagnosing stress-related disorders among Thais.

Validity and reliability of WHO Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN)-Thai version: Cognitive Impairment or Decline Section.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the validity and reliability of the Thai version of the Cognitive Impairment or Decline section of WHO Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN) version 2.1. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The SCAN interview version 2.1 Cognitive Impairment or Decline Section was translated into Thai and its content validity tested by back translation. Psychiatrists competent in the use of the schedules and aware of their underlying objectives tested the linguistic clarity of the psychiatric schedules for Thais from the country's four regions. The reliability of SCAN: Cognitive Impairment or Decline Section was tested between June and November 2005 on 30 participants, including 15 patients with cognitive impairment and 15 normal volunteers. RESULTS: Based on reactions from Thais and consultations from competent psychiatrists, content validity was indeed established. The duration of interviews for the Cognitive Impairment or Decline Section averaged 48.99 min (59.71 for patients with cognitive impairment and 33.77 for normal subjects). The respective mean inter- and intra-rater reliability kappa was 0.72 (SD = 0.31) and 0.78 (SD = 0.23). The reliability of the majority of items reached a substantial to almost perfect level; however, three items (3.66%) had poor and nine (6.67%) only slight inter-rater agreement. Some items needed clarification of the scoring method. The respective inter- and intra-rater reliability of the continuous data was 0.93 and 0.96. CONCLUSION: The Cognitive Impairment or Decline Section of the WHO Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN Thai Version) is demonstrably an effective tool for diagnosing cognitive impairment disorders among Thais.

Validity and reliability study of the Thai version of WHO SCAN: somatoform and dissociative symptoms section.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the validity and reliability of the Thai version of the WHO Somatoform and Dissociative Symptoms Section of the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN) Version 2.1 MATERIAL AND METHOD: The SCAN interview version 2.1 Somatoform and Dissociative Symptoms Section was translated into Thai. The content validity of the translation was verified by comparing a back-translation (to English) of the Thai version to the English original. Whenever inconsistencies were encountered, the Thai version was adapted so that it correctly conveyed the meaning of the original English version. The revised Thai version was then field-tested nationwide for the comprehensibility of the relatively technical language. Between October 2003 and August 2004, 30 persons were recruited for the reliability study (16 males; 14 females) Fifteen subjects had somatoform disorders and 15 were normal. The number of years of formal education varied widely and occupations were diverse. Subjects were interviewed by a psychiatrist competent in using the Thai version of SCAN. The interviews were recorded on video so that the material could be rerated. RESULTS: Based on the response from Thai subjects and consultations with competent psychiatrists, the content validity was established. The time taken to interview a somatoform patient averaged 57.1 +/- 12.1 minutes while it was 42.1 +/- 13.9 minutes for a normal subject. The inter-rater reliability (kappa) of the 113 Items were: 0.81-1.0, 0.61-0.80 and 0. 00-0.20 in 49.6, 30.0 and 8.9 percent, respectively. Kappas could not be calculated for 11.5% of the Items. The intra-rater reliabilities were. 0.81-1.0, 0.61-0.80 and 0.00-0.20 in 54.9, 26.5 and 2.7 percent, respectively. Kappas could not be calculated for 15.9% of the Items. CONCLUSION: The Thai version of the Somatoform and Dissociative Symptoms Section of SCAN version 2.1 proved to be a valid and reliable tool for assessing somatoform and dissociative symptoms among Thai speakers.

The validity and reliability of the WHO Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN Thai Version): Mood Disorders Section.

BACKGROUND: Mood disorders are one of the most prevalent psychiatric disorders that have early onset, are chronic and can cause functional impairment. It is therefore crucial to establish an accurate diagnosis for treatment and research purposes. OBJECTIVES: The authors aimed to test the validity and reliability of the WHO Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN Thai Version): Mood Disorders Section. MATERIAL AND METHOD: First, psychiatrists competent in the use of the schedules and their underlying objectives tests the linguistic clarity of the Thai psychiatric schedules in four regions of the country. Then between October 2003 and August 2004, Reliability of SCAN: mood disorder section was tested among 30 participants, including mood disordered patients and normal volunteers. RESULTS: Based on reactions from Thais and consultations from competent psychiatrists, content validity was established. The duration of interviews for the mood disorder sections averaged 63.6 min (SD = 17.1). The inter- and intra-rater reliability kappa were 0.80 (0.77-0.83) and 0.86 (0.84-0.88), respectively. The reliability of the majority of items reached substantial to almost perfect agreement; however, 1 item (1%) had only slight agreement and 15 items (12%) had moderate agreement, and needed clarification of the scoring method CONCLUSION: The Mood Disorders Sections of the WHO Neuropsychiatry Schedules for Clinical Assessment (SCAN Thai Version) were effective tools for diagnosing mood disorders among Thais.