The Clinical Interview Schedule--Sinhala version: validation in a community setting in Sri Lanka

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• Adolescent Mental Health

Background:

• The Clinical Interview Schedule Revised (CIS-R) is a diagnostic tool.
• Validation in diverse cultural and age groups is crucial for its applicability.
• Adolescent mental health assessment requires culturally adapted instruments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the translated and modified Clinical Interview Schedule Revised (CIS-R) for adolescents aged 15-19 in Sri Lanka.
• To assess the diagnostic accuracy and internal consistency of the CIS-R in a clinical setting.
• To determine the suitability of specific symptom sections for the target population.

Main Methods:

• Translation of the CIS-R into Sinhala with modifications for symptom group introductions.
• Interviewing 131 first-time adolescent psychiatric clinic attendees using the translated CIS-R by lay interviewers.
• Comparison of CIS-R ratings with psychiatrist's diagnoses based on local procedures.

Main Results:

• High sensitivity (80%-96%) was observed for most filtering questions.
• Sleep problems and phobias sections showed poor discrimination between affected and unaffected individuals.
• Excluding these two sections resulted in high internal consistency (0.60-0.82) and explained 97% of total score variation.

Conclusions:

• The modified CIS-R, excluding sleep problems and phobias sections, demonstrates good validity for assessing psychiatric conditions in Sri Lankan adolescents in a clinic setting.
• Further validation in a community sample is recommended to confirm the modified instrument's utility.
• Cultural adaptation and modification of diagnostic tools are essential for accurate adolescent mental health assessment.