A psychometric evaluation of two new screening instruments for psychological disorders in primary care

Abstract

The psychometric qualities of two new brief screening questionnaires suitable for use in primary care were investigated. In Study One, 109 patients at a university campus primary care clinic completed the two screens, Kessler and Mroczek's (1994) Scale for Non-Specific Psychological Distress, and the CAGE-AID, a screen for substance use disorders (Brown & Rounds, 1995), as well as the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12; Goldberg, 1978). Results from the screens were compared with results from a brief version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI), which 24 participants completed. The validity of two versions of Kessler and Mroczek's Scale was supported by Significant correlations with the GHQ-12 and with the CIDI. The CAGE-AID was also significantly correlated with the CIDI, unlike the GHQ-12. Results from Study Two, which involved a separate sample of 80 undergraduate students, found that the new screens demonstrated very high test-retest reliability. Overall, both the 6-item and 10-item versions of Kessler and Mroczek's Scale for Non-Specific Psychological Distress as well as the CAGE-AID show potential for use as screens for psychological disorders in primary care.