Validation of client decision-making instruments in the context of psychiatry

We evaluated the psychometric properties of instruments measuring decisional conflict, decision self-efficacy, and decision emotional control with 94 clients diagnosed with schizophrenia who were considering the continuation of treatment with long-acting antipsychotic injections. The decision scales had adequate internal consistency (range 0.78 to 0.84) and discriminated significantly (p < 0.000 to 0.037) between clients who expressed certainty and those who expressed uncertainty regarding decisions to continue with treatment. The scales may be useful in psychiatric populations, in identifying the factors contributing to difficulty in decision-making regarding treatment and evaluating decision-supporting interventions.