[Prefrontal Symptoms Inventory (PSI): ecological validity and convergence with neuropsychological measures]

Area of Science:

• Neuropsychology
• Psychometrics

Background:

• The Prefrontal Symptoms Inventory (PSI) is a self-report questionnaire assessing cognitive, emotional, and behavioral changes in daily living.
• It is applicable to general and clinical populations, with a shorter 20-item version (PSI-20) available for screening.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the convergent and divergent validity of the PSI and PSI-20.
• To determine how PSI scales correlate with objective performance deficits in neurological assessments.

Main Methods:

• A sample of 52 substance addiction patients (31 males, 21 females) completed the PSI and an abbreviated neuropsychological test battery.
• The battery focused on attentional, mnemonic, and executive functions.

Main Results:

• Both PSI versions exhibited excellent psychometric properties (Cronbach's alpha > 0.70).
• Convergent validity was confirmed: PSI performance problems scale correlated with executive function test performance.
• Discriminant validity was supported: emotional control and social behavior scales did not correlate with these cognitive tests.

Conclusions:

• The PSI is a clinically valuable tool with robust psychometric validity.
• It is suitable for diverse clinical populations, aiding in the assessment of prefrontal-related daily functioning.