Scale for assessing perceptual anomalies. Validation of a Spanish version of the SIAPA scale in a sample of Cuban schizophrenic patients.

INTRODUCTION: Perceptual-attentional disorders other than hallucinations in schizophrenic patients have been studied little. In this work, the results of the Spanish version of the SIAPA scale to detect perceptual-attentional anomalies to real stimuli other than hallucinations in a sample of schizophrenic patients in a community study in Cuba are presented. METHODS: 329 subjects were studied: 129 schizophrenic patients and 200 controls. Patients were diagnosed by psychiatrists according to DSM-IV criteria. The SIAPA and PANSS scales were used for the study. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was determined to analyze internal consistency. Reliability, validity of current criterion and structural validity were measured. Comparisons between groups were made using the ANOVA. RESULTS: Schizophrenic patients had more perceptual anomalies than healthy controls. Auditory and visual perceptual anomalies were more frequent. The scale showed high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha: 0.84). Using a PANSS scale cut-off score of 60, validity had a sensitivity of 56 % and specificity of 79 %. All modalities of SIAPA scales showed good kappa coefficients (0.72-0.85). CONCLUSIONS: This scale showed similar internal validity and test-retest reliability to those reported in the English version. The results showed that this scale can differentiate the presence of perceptual anomalies in schizophrenic patients from healthy controls. Therefore, we suggest that the SIAPA scale may be useful for assessing perceptual anomalies in clinical researching for cognitive impairment evaluations.