Standardised Assessment of Personality - Abbreviated Scale (SAPAS): preliminary validation of a brief screen for personality disorder

Abstract

Background: There is a need for a brief and simple screen for personality disorders that can be used in routine psychiatric assessments.

Aims: To test the concurrent validity and test-retest reliability of a brief screen for personality disorder.

Method: Sixty psychiatric patients were administered a brief screening interview for personality disorder. On the same day, they were interviewed with an established assessment for DSM-IV personality disorder. Three weeks later, the brief screening interview was repeated in order to examine test-retest reliability.

Results: A score of 3 on the screening interview correctly identified the presence of DSM-IV personality disorder in 90% of participants. The sensitivity and specificity were were 0.94 and and 0.85 respectively.

Conclusions: The study provides preliminary evidence of the usefulness of the screen in routine clinical settings.