Validation of the Taiwanese Mandarin version of the Personal and Social Performance scale in a sample of 655 stable schizophrenic patients.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of the Taiwanese Mandarin version of the Personal and Social Performance scale (TMV-PSP) using a structured interview and a computerized scoring calculator.

Methods: In total, 655 patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were assessed with the TMV-PSP, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), the Global Assessment of Functioning-Severity (CGI-S), the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). Construct validity was assessed by factorial analysis. The internal consistency and temporal stability of the PSP were obtained by calculating intra-class correlation coefficients.

Results: The Cronbach's alpha coefficients of the TMV-PSP were 0.73. The patients' PSP showed a negative correlation with the PANSS (r = -0.65) and its subscales, including positive (r = -0.35), negative (r = -0.67), general factors (r = -0.62) and the CGI-S scores (r = -0.47). The PSP showed a positive correlation with MMSE scores (r = 0.59), ADL (r = 0.45) and IADL scores (r = 0.6). All p-values for the correlation coefficients were less than 0.001. Good test-retest reliability was obtained (intraclass coefficient = 0.91, 95 CI: 0.82-0.96, p = 0.0001). Factor analysis explained a total of 83.6% of the variance, with Component 1 contributing 58.4% and Component 2 contributing 24.8%.

Conclusions: These findings indicate that the TMV-PSP using a structured interview and a computerized scoring calculator is a reliable and valid instrument for the assessment of social functioning in patients with schizophrenia.