The following is a summary of “Measurement of perceived pressures in psychiatry: paper-and-pencil and computerized adaptive version of the P-PSY35 scale,” published in the May 2024 issue of Psychiatry by Golay et al.
Research on formal coercion in psychiatry is extensively explored, while more understanding of patient pressures is needed due to the scarcity of applicable measures.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study aiming to develop and validate the P-PSY35 scale, a tool for measuring perceived pressures experienced by patients of psychiatry in both paper-and-pencil and computerized formats.
They developed a P-PSY35 scale involving patient collaboration to ensure the items accurately captured experiences. Patients during psychiatric hospitalization were evaluated with an online survey to gather data. Statistical methods, including Mokken scale analysis and Item Response Theory (IRT), were employed to select the most effective questions and assess the measurement properties. A Monte-Carlo simulation was conducted to determine the minimum number of questions needed for a reliable computerized adaptive test (CAT) version of the P-PSY35, offering a more efficient way to assess perceived pressures in the future.
About 274 patients were assessed and the results showed strong internal validity, consistency, and convergent and divergent validity. The P-PSY35 scale could be significantly shortened without compromising the reliability when employing the CAT procedure.
Investigators concluded that the P-PSY35 scale is a valid and reliable tool for measuring perceived pressure in psychiatry, with the potential for a shorter, efficient CAT version.
Source: link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12991-024-00501-5