Examination of Anomalous World Experience: A Report on Reliability

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• Phenomenology

Background:

• The Examination of Anomalous World Experience (EAWE) is a new semi-structured interview designed to capture anomalies in subjective experience related to the lived world.
• These anomalies are common in schizophrenia spectrum disorders and encompass experiences of space, time, people, language, atmosphere, and existential attitudes.
• Prior research primarily focused on disturbances in self-experience, highlighting a gap in understanding broader subjective world anomalies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the reliability of the EAWE interview.
• Specifically, to assess its internal consistency and interrater reliability.

Main Methods:

• Two studies were conducted for EAWE development, one in the US (13 patients) and one in Slovenia (15 patients), involving individuals with schizophrenia spectrum or mood disorders.
• In the US, two live interviewers conducted the EAWE. In Slovenia, one interviewer conducted the interviews, with a second rater reviewing audio recordings.
• Internal consistency and interrater reliability were calculated using Cronbach's α, Spearman's ρ, and Cohen's κ for each study.

Main Results:

• Both studies demonstrated high internal consistency for the EAWE, with Cronbach's α values exceeding 0.82.
• High interrater reliability was observed for total EAWE scores (Spearman's ρ > 0.83).
• Average Cohen's κ values were at least 0.78 for each study, with domain-specific κ not falling below 0.73.

Conclusions:

• The EAWE interview, which explores anomalies in subjective experience related to the external world, demonstrates adequate reliability.
• The findings support the EAWE's utility in both clinical and research settings for evaluating subjective world experience anomalies.