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Preliminary Psychometric Properties of Panic Disorder Severity Scale-Self-Report Version: Validity, Reliability, and
Fatemeh Akhavan-Abiri1, Mohammad Reza Shaeiri1, Hojjatollah Farahani2
1Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran.
Brain and Behavior
|June 9, 2026
Summary
The Panic Disorder Severity Scale-Self-Report (PDSS-SR) is a reliable tool for assessing panic disorder severity in Iranian adults. This study validated the PDSS-SR, establishing an optimal cut-off score of 6.50 for clinical use.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology
- Psychometric Validation
- Mental Health Assessment
Background:
- Accurate assessment of panic disorder (PD) severity is crucial for effective treatment.
- The Panic Disorder Severity Scale-Self-Report (PDSS-SR) is a widely used instrument for measuring PD severity.
- Validation of the PDSS-SR in diverse cultural contexts, such as Iran, is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the psychometric properties of the PDSS-SR in an Iranian population.
- To determine the reliability, validity, and optimal cut-off point of the PDSS-SR for Iranian PD patients.
- To confirm the suitability of the PDSS-SR for clinical application in Iran.
Main Methods:
- A descriptive study design was employed with 45 PD patients and 18 controls.
- Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) assessed construct validity.
- Convergent validity was examined using correlations with anxiety scales.
- Reliability was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha, McDonald's omega, test-retest, and ICC.
- Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves determined the optimal cut-off point.
Main Results:
- CFA confirmed the single-factor structure of the PDSS-SR with good fit.
- The PDSS-SR demonstrated moderate convergent validity with anxiety-related scales.
- Reliability coefficients (Cronbach's alpha, McDonald's omega, ICC) were high (≥0.86), and test-retest reliability was adequate (0.716).
- The optimal cut-off score was determined to be 6.50, with 90.70% sensitivity and 61.11% specificity (AUC=0.78).
Conclusions:
- The PDSS-SR exhibits sufficient reliability and good construct validity in Iranian samples.
- Moderate convergent validity supports its use in assessing anxiety-related constructs.
- An optimal cut-off score of 6.50 is recommended for clinical use in Iran.
- The PDSS-SR is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing panic disorder severity in Iranian clinical settings.
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