Reliability and validity of the positive and negative syndrome scale for schizophrenics

The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was developed out of the need for a well-operationalized method of assessing these syndromes in schizophrenia, including their relationship to one another and to global psychopathology. We surveyed 82 acute and chronic schizophrenics to analyze the psychometric properties of the four PANSS scales. The interrater reliabilities were in the 0.80's, and significant correlations emerged with corresponding criterion measures. The PANSS positive and negative scales were inversely intercorrelated once their shared association with general psychopathology had been partialed out. The results support the scales' reliability, criterion-related validity, and construct validity, while cross-validating some of our previous findings.