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The psychometric properties of the Washington Early Recognition Center Affectivity and Psychosis (WERCAP) screen in adults in the Kenyan context: Towards combined large scale community screening for affectivity and psychosis.

The psychometric properties of the Washington Early Recognition Center Affectivity and Psychosis (WERCAP) screen in adults in the Kenyan context: Towards combined large scale community screening for affectivity and psychosis.

Authors :
Ndetei D
Pike K
Mutiso V
Tele A
Gitonga I
Rebello T
Musyimi C
Mamah D
Source :
Psychiatry research [Psychiatry Res] 2019 Dec; Vol. 282, pp. 112569. Date of Electronic Publication: 2019 Sep 17.
Publication Year :
2019

Abstract

There is a need for screening for early symptoms of psychosis and affectivity at community level to promote early diagnosis and management. Any screening instrument should have good psychometric properties. One such instrument is the Washington Early Recognition Center Affectivity and Psychosis (WERCAP) Screen that has been used in the USA, Kenya and Rwanda. However, its properties have not been studied outside the USA, and not in adults. The study aims to document the psychometric properties of the WERCAP Screen in Kenyan adults with positive screens on the WHO mental health treatment GAP- Intervention Guidelines (mhGAP-IG). We administered the WERCAP Screen and a gold standard - the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI-Plus) section on psychosis to 674 Kenyan adults who had screened positive on the WHO mhGAP-IG. Out of these, 464 (68.84%) scored positive for both affectivity and psychosis sections on the MINI-Plus. The WERCAP affectivity and psychosis scales had good psychometric properties as screening measures, with a cut-off point of 22 for affectivity and 20 for psychosis. The WERCAP Screen has the potential for combined scale up screening for affectivity and psychosis in Kenyan population.<br /> (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1872-7123
Volume :
282
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
Psychiatry research
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
31727439
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2019.112569