A Validation Study of the Web Screening Questionnaire (WSQ) Compared With the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric...

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• Psychometric Evaluation

Background:

• Brief screening tools are crucial for psychiatric disorder detection in clinical settings.
• The Web Screening Questionnaire (WSQ) is a self-report measure designed for rapid psychiatric assessment.
• This study evaluates the WSQ's validity in general and outpatient populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the Web Screening Questionnaire (WSQ) as a screening tool for psychiatric disorders.
• To determine the WSQ's adequacy in identifying depressive and anxiety disorders in clinical practice.

Main Methods:

• 1292 adults (general population and psychiatric outpatients) aged 18-65 participated.
• The WSQ's performance was compared against the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview-Plus (MINI-Plus) as the gold standard.
• Key metrics included sensitivity, specificity, AUC, PPVs, and NPVs.

Main Results:

• WSQ demonstrated high specificity (0.89-0.97) for most disorders, except PTSD and specific phobia.
• Sensitivity varied (0.67-1.00), with lower values for depressive disorder and alcohol use disorders.
• Negative predictive values (NPVs) were very high (≥0.97), indicating strong ability to rule out disorders.

Conclusions:

• The WSQ is a useful screening tool for identifying individuals unlikely to have depressive or anxiety disorders.
• The WSQ's accuracy is limited for post-traumatic stress disorder and specific phobias.
• Positive WSQ results require confirmation through additional diagnostic procedures.