Comprehension and Motivation in Responses to a Psychiatric Screening Instrument Validity of the SRQ in Ethiopia

The Self Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ), a psychiatric-case-finding instrument designed by the WHO for developing countries, was tested in Ethiopia. It was submitted to 40 patients attending a psychiatric clinic, 30 at a somatic clinic, and 40 subjects not attending a clinic. Forty per cent of the ye...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:British journal of psychiatry 1988-07, Vol.153 (1), p.95-101
Main Authors: Kortmann, Frank, Ten Horn, Sineke
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Attitude to Health
Biological and medical sciences
Ethiopia
Humans
Medical sciences
Mental Disorders - diagnosis
Mental health
Patient Acceptance of Health Care
Psychological Tests
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychometrics
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Social psychiatry. Ethnopsychiatry
Surveys and Questionnaires
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Summary:The Self Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ), a psychiatric-case-finding instrument designed by the WHO for developing countries, was tested in Ethiopia. It was submitted to 40 patients attending a psychiatric clinic, 30 at a somatic clinic, and 40 subjects not attending a clinic. Forty per cent of the yes-answers were rated as invalid. The concept-invalidity contributed mainly to the rather poor criterion-validity of the SRQ. In addition, clinic patients seemed to heighten the number of yes-answers to express their need for help. The SRQ measured not only psychiatric complaints but also illness behaviour, even without the presence of any illness. This is a substantial disadvantage if the SRQ is applied to detect the psychiatric cases in the primary-care facilities.
ISSN:0007-1250
1472-1465
DOI:10.1192/bjp.153.1.95