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Implications for Clinical Assessment

Frederic Kass, MD; Edward Charles, MA; Donald F. Klein, MD; Patricia Cohen, PhD

Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1983;40(4):389-393.

Abstract
• This study examines the symptom checklist 90 (SCL-90), a patient self-report rating scale, as a screening and baseline psychopathology measure in an outpatient clinic. A low correlation (r=.17) was found between the SCL-90 and the SCL analogue, a matched psychopathology instrument rated by clinicians. The most common causes of discordance in ratings were patients' underreporting of symptoms due to patients' paranoia or fearfulness, overreporting of symptoms consistent with patients' "demonstrative" style, and false-positive Items related to patients' physical illness. We conclude that the SCL-90 has limited validity as a clinical measure in the study of patients seen in evaluation in our setting.

Author Affiliations
From the Department of Psychiatry, Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York.

Footnotes
Accepted for publication June 24, 1982.

Reprint requests to Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt Clinic, Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, New York, NY 10032 (Dr Kass).

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