Stability of positive and negative symptom constructs during neuroleptic treatment in schizophrenia. Academic Article

abstract

• To assess the structural stability of positive and negative symptom ratings, we rated 40 schizophrenic inpatients on the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) at medication-free baseline and after 4 weeks of neuroleptic treatment. Positive symptom variables consisted of six BPRS items, and the negative symptom variables consisted of the five SANS subscale global scores. On principal components analysis, a three-factor, oblique-rotated solution resulted, with a negative symptom factor, a positive symptom factor, and an unstable behavioral agitation factor. The pre- and posttreatment factor loading patterns were similar. The findings suggest that BPRS-positive symptom items and the SANS measure distinct clinical dimensions and that the construct is stable, as demonstrated by minimal structural change with time.

authors

• Liberzon, Israel

published proceedings

• Psychopathology

author list (cited authors)

• Goldman, R. S., Tandon, R., Liberzon, I., Goodson, J., & Greden, J. F.

citation count

• 20

complete list of authors

• Goldman, RS||Tandon, R||Liberzon, I||Goodson, J||Greden, JF

publication date

• January 1991

publisher

• Karger Publishers  Publisher

published in

• Psychopathology  Journal

keywords

• Adult
• Arousal
• Chlorpromazine
• Delusions
• Female
• Hallucinations
• Haloperidol
• Humans
• Male
• Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
• Psychometrics
• Schizophrenia
• Schizophrenic Psychology
• Thiothixene

PubMed Central ID

• 1754657

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

• 10.1159/000284721

start page

• 247

end page

• 252

volume

• 24

issue

• 4

URL

• http://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000284721