Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 10, 2026
10:32
Development of a Virtual Reality Assessment of Everyday Living Skills
Published on: April 23, 2014
19.4K
Development and validation of the NIMHANS-NMHS-2 disability scale (NNDS)
T S Jaisoorya1, Lakshmi Jogi1, V S Binu2
1Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Indian Journal of Psychiatry
|March 9, 2026
Summary
A new scale, the NIMHANS-NMHS-2 Disability Scale (NNDS), was developed to measure mental health disability in India. It shows strong psychometric properties and is suitable for clinical and research use.
Area of Science:
- Psychometrics
- Mental Health Assessment
- Disability Measurement
Background:
- India's National Mental Health Survey-2 (NMHS-2) requires a tool to measure disability.
- Existing scales were unsuitable due to length, cost, cultural flexibility, or administration requirements.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate the NIMHANS-NMHS-2 Disability Scale (NNDS) for adult disability assessment.
- To create a scale that is short, free, culturally adaptable, and administrable by lay interviewers.
Main Methods:
- Development involved item generation from literature review and content validation by 16 consultants.
- Psychometric analysis included Cronbach's alpha, Exploratory Factor Analysis, K-means cluster analysis, and ROC analysis.
- Validation was performed on inpatient, outpatient, and community samples.
Main Results:
- The NNDS demonstrated excellent internal consistency (α=0.94) and a stable five-factor structure.
- Strong correlations were found with WHO-Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (rho=0.93) and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (rho=0.80).
- Optimal cut-off scores for disability severity were established.
Conclusions:
- The NNDS is a robust, open-source scale with strong psychometric properties for measuring disability.
- Its broad applicability supports clinical practice, community assessments, and research in mental health.
