Author/Authors :
Dejman ، Masoumeh Department of Mental Health - Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health , Baradaran Eftekhari ، Monir Ministry of Health and Medical Education , Falahat ، Katayoun Ministry of Health and Medical Education , Mahmoodi ، Zohreh Social Determinants of Health Research Center - Alborz University of Medical Sciences , Padyab ، Mojgan Department of Social Work - Umeå University , Forouzan ، Ameneh Setareh Social Welfare Management Research Center - University of welfare and Rehabilitation
Abstract :
Background: Currently, in addition to the undeniable impact of cultural factors on mental health problems’ diagnosis and treatment methods, the use of rapid, short, and intervention-based instruments can be effective in the accurate diagnosis of mental health problems, especially in the health system of developing countries. Objectives: This study aimed to validate an instrument developed for screening patients with common mental health problems using item response theory (IRT). Methods: The study was conducted in Semnan province (with Persian ethnicity), Iran, from August 2017 to February 2018. A 101-item tool consisted of district common mental health problems (i.e., depression, anxiety, and obsession), along with a functional checklist. The development of the instrument involved a pilot study and psychometric testing. The IRT-based analysis was used as the item-reduction method to evaluate the shortened tool as an appropriate screening tool. The participants were healthy individuals and patients with depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The data were analyzed using Stata software (version 15.1). Results: The study participants were 160 individuals (58.2% male) with a mean age of 36.3 ± 11.2 years. All item impact factors were within the range of 1.8 - 5. The mean values of clarity, simplicity, relevance, and scale-level content validity index/averaging calculation method of the instrument were 96.73 ± 0.70, 97.64 ± 0.61, 98.2 ± 1.9, and 97.09 ± 0.63, respectively. Cronbach’s alpha and internal consistency coefficient were 0.88 and 0.7. Moreover, 13, 5, and 12 items were excluded using IRT from depression, anxiety, and OCD dimensions based on the threshold criteria, respectively. Conclusions: Iranian screening tools for mental health problems can provide qualified information with the least error and the most precision in appropriate early diagnosis and decrease the burden of mental health problems in the national healthcare system.
Keywords :
Anxiety Disorder , Depression , Item Response Theory , Obsessive , Compulsive Disorder , Validity , Reliability
