Khan A, Yavorsky C, Liechti S, Opler M, Rothman B, DiClemente G, Lucic L, Jovic S, Inada T, Yang L. A rasch model to test the cross-cultural validity in the positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS) across six geo-cultural groups.
BMC Psychol 2013;
1:5. [PMID:
25566357 PMCID:
PMC4270028 DOI:
10.1186/2050-7283-1-5]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2012] [Accepted: 02/14/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background
The objective of this study was to examine the cross-cultural
differences of the PANSS across six geo-cultural regions. The specific
aims are (1) to examine measurement properties of the PANSS; and (2) to
examine how each of the 30 items function across geo-cultural
regions.
Methods
Data was obtained for 1,169 raters from 6 different regions: Eastern
Asia (n = 202), India (n = 185), Northern Europe (n = 126), Russia &
Ukraine (n = 197), Southern Europe (n = 162), United States (n = 297). A
principle components analysis assessed unidimensionality of the
subscales. Rasch rating scale analysis examined cross-cultural
differences among each item of the PANSS.
Results
Lower item values reflects items in which raters often showed less
variation in the scores; higher item values reflects items with more
variation in the scores. Positive Subscale: Most regions found item P5
(Excitement) to be the most difficult item to score. Items varied in
severity from −0.93 [item P6. Suspiciousness/persecution (USA) to 0.69
item P4. Excitement (Eastern Asia)]. Item P3 (Hallucinatory Behavior) was
the easiest item to score for all geographical regions. Negative
Subscale: The most difficult item to score for all regions is N7
(Stereotyped Thinking) with India showing the most difficulty Δ = 0.69,
and Northern Europe and the United States showing the least difficulty Δ
= 0.21, each. The second most difficult item for raters to score was N1
(Blunted Affect) for most countries including Southern Europe (Δ = 0.30),
Eastern Asia (Δ = 0.28), Russia & Ukraine (Δ = 0.22) and India (Δ =
0.10). General Psychopathology: The most difficult item for raters to
score for all regions is G4 (Tension) with difficulty levels ranging from
Δ = 1.38 (India) to Δ = 0.72.
Conclusions
There were significant differences in response to a number of items on
the PANSS, possibly caused by a lack of equivalence between the original
and translated versions, cultural differences among interpretation of
items or scoring parameters. Knowing which items are problematic for
various cultures can help guide PANSS training and make training
specialized for specific geographical regions.
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