Cross-cultural adaptation, reliability, and content validity of the Brief Negative Symptom Scale (BNSS) for use in Brazil

Abstract Background The Brief Negative Symptom Scale (BNSS) assesses the presence and intensity of negative symptoms in schizophrenia. Objectives This study aimed to carry out the BNSS cross-cultural adaptation to the Brazilian Portuguese language and verify its content validity and reliability. Methods This is a methodological study that followed these steps: (1) implementation of the cross-cultural adaptation and translation protocol, (2) BNSS adapted content validation, and (3) reliability assessment. Six experts participated in the adaptation process. The sample consisted of 30 individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia and assisted at the Brazilian Psychosocial Care Center (CAPS), in João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil, which was the research setting. Results The cross-cultural adaptation was successful due to the values obtained for each aspect evaluated, such as semantic (0.922), idiomatic (0.910), experiential (0.961), and conceptual equivalence (0.974). The same happened with content validity regarding clarity of language (0.935), practical relevance (0.974), and theoretical relevance (0.948). Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.884 for the entire instrument, and the items ranged from 0.865 to 0.882. Discussion The BNSS adaptation process has shown to be satisfactory for use in the Brazilian context, constituting a useful clinical tool for teaching and research.

Distorções do pensamento em pacientes deprimidos: frequência e tipos / Distortions of thinking in depressed patients: frequency and type

OBJETIVO: O objetivo deste estudo foi identificar as principais distorções do pensamento (DP) em pacientes deprimidos, sua frequência, bem como se há relação delas com dados clínicos e sociodemográficos. Método: Estudo descritivo de corte transversal com 75 voluntários entre 18 e 65 anos, residentes na cidade de João Pessoa/PB. Aplicaram-se a escala SCID - I, apenas a parte dedicada ao diagnóstico de depressão, o Inventário de Beck para Depressão (IBD) e questionários para avaliação de dados clínicos e sociodemográficos. Foram pesquisadas as principais distorções do pensamento descritas na literatura. RESULTADOS: As distorções do pensamento mais prevalentes foram desesperança (69,3 por cento), hipocondria (62,7 por cento), ideias de fracasso (61,3 por cento) e desejo de morte (60,0 por cento). As DP ideias de culpa, desejo de morte e ideias suicidas foram as únicas a ocorrerem exclusivamente em pacientes com IBD > 10. Apenas 13,3 por cento dos pacientes não apresentaram no momento da entrevista nenhuma distorção do pensamento. Houve associação estatisticamente significativa entre várias DP e variáveis clínicas e sociodemográficas (p < 0,05). CONCLUSÃO: Conclui-se que as distorções do pensamento são altamente prevalentes em indivíduos deprimidos, merecendo maior investigação por parte dos profissionais de saúde mental envolvidos no atendimento a pacientes deprimidos.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify the main thought distortions (TD) in depressed patients, their frequency as well as if there is any relation of such distortions with the clinical and sociodemographical data. METHOD: Descriptive study of transversal cut involving 75 volunteers between 18 and 65 years old, dwellers of João Pessoa/PB. The SCID-I scale was used, but just the part devoted to depression diagnosis, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and questionnaires for evaluating the clinical and socio-demographical data. The main thought distortions, described in the literature, were researched. RESULTS: The most prevalent thought distortions were hopelessness (69,3 percent), hypochondria (62,7 percent), failure ideas (61,3 percent) and death desire (60,0 percent). The thought distortions (TD) referring to guilt ideas, death desire and suicidal ideas were the only ones which occurred in patients with IBD > 10. Only 13,3 percent of the patients did not present, at the moment of the interview, any thought distortion. There was a statistically meaningful association among several TDs and clinical and socio-demographical variables (p < 0,05). CONCLUSION: We conclude that thought distortions are highly prevalent in depressed individuals, deserving thus, a major investigation of these by the mental health professionals involved in taking care of depressed patients.