European Validation of the Self-Evaluation of Negative Symptoms (SNS): A Large Multinational and Multicenter Study.

BACKGROUND

Negative symptoms are usually evaluated with scales based on observer ratings and up to now self-assessments have been overlooked. The aim of this paper was to validate the Self-evaluation of Negative Symptoms (SNS) in a large European sample coming from 12 countries. We wanted to demonstrate: (1) good convergent and divergent validities; (2) relationships between SNS scores and patients' functional outcome; (3) the capacity of the SNS compared to the Brief Negative Symptom Scale (BNSS) to detect negative symptoms; and (4) a five-domain construct in relation to the 5 consensus domains (social withdrawal, anhedonia, alogia, avolition, blunted affect) as the best latent structure of SNS.

METHODS

Two hundred forty-five subjects with a DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia completed the SNS, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), the BNSS, the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS), and the Personal and Social Performance (PSP) scale. Spearman's Rho correlations, confirmatory factor analysis investigating 4 models of the latent structure of SNS and stepwise multiple regression were performed.

RESULTS

Significant positive correlations were observed between the total score of the SNS and the total scores of the PANSS negative subscale (

CONCLUSION

In a large European multicentric sample, this study demonstrated that the SNS has: (1) good psychometric properties with good convergent and divergent validities; (2) a five-factor latent structure; (3) an association with patients' functional outcome; and (4) the capacity to identify subjects with negative symptoms that is close to the BNSS and superior to the PANSS negative subscale.

Informations de copyright

Copyright © 2022 Dollfus, Mucci, Giordano, Bitter, Austin, Delouche, Erfurth, Fleischhacker, Movina, Glenthøj, Gütter, Hofer, Hubenak, Kaiser, Libiger, Melle, Nielsen, Papsuev, Rybakowski, Sachs, Üçok, Brando, Wojciak and Galderisi.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

SD has been an expert and consultant or participated in educational conferences for the following industrial laboratories or companies: Gedeon Richter, Lundbeck Otsuka, Roche, Takeda, Fabre, Janssen, ONO Pharma, and Verasci. She also had a license agreement on SNS with MedAvante-ProPhase. AE received consulting fees and/or honoraria for speeches within the last 3 years from Angelini, AOP Orphan, Germania, Janssen, Krka, Lundbeck, Mylan, Neuraxpharm, Recordati, and Sandoz. SG has been a consultant and/or advisor to or has received honoraria from Millennium Pharmaceutical, Innova Pharma–Recordati Group, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, Gedeon Richter-Recordati, Angelini, Lundbeck Italia, and Sunovion Pharmarmaceuticals. She has no other conflicts to disclose. AH has been a consultant for Recordati and participated in educational conferences for Janssen and Lundbeck. JH has received honoraria from Angelini, Lundbeck, and Servier. SK has received royalties for cognitive test and training software from Schuhfried. AM has been a consultant and/or advisor to or has received honoraria from Gedeon Richter Bulgaria, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Lundbeck, Otsuka, Pfizer, and Pierre Fabre. GS is president of the Austrian Society of Neuropsychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, which is partially financed by the support from pharmaceutical companies. GS received consulting fees and/or honoraria for speeches within the last 3 years from Janssen, Lundbeck, Mylan, Recordati, and Schwabe. AÜ has been a consultant and/or advisor to or has received honoraria from Adeka, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Abdi Ibrahim Otsuka, Sanovel, and Biofarma. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.