Sensitivity to change of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale-Extended (BPRS-E): An item and subscale analysis.

The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) is the most commonly used outcome measure for the severely and persistently mentally ill (SPMI) population, possessing good interrater reliability, concurrent validity, and a strong factor structure. However, psychometric study of the extended version of the BPRS (the BPRS-E) is limited when compared with earlier versions (BPRS and BPRS-A). This study examined the item, factor, and diagnosis-specific sensitivity to change of the BPRS-E, the most recent version of this popular scale. Assessments were conducted at 90-day intervals with 201 adult psychiatric inpatients at the Utah State Hospital, yielding 786 symptom ratings. Of note was that ratings were conducted by independent assessors who were unaware of patients' treatment status. All but 2 of the 24 BPRS-E items, all 4 factors, and the total score were found to be sensitive to change when comparing patients' admission and discharge scores. Patient diagnosis was not associated with item, factor, or total score sensitivity to change. These findings extend the psychometric support for the BPRS-E and have implications for assessing outcome with the SPMI population. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)