The Shona Symptom Questionnaire

The development of an indigenous measure of common mental disorders in Harare

Datos Bibliográficos

ID23363213
AutoresVikram Patel (0000-0003-1066-8584, University of Zimbabwe, autor de correspondencia), E Simunyu (University of Zimbabwe), F Gwanzura (University of Zimbabwe), Glyn Lewis (0000-0001-5205-8245, University of Wales), A Mann (0000-0001-6347-9520)
Año1997
Volumen95
Número6
Páginas469-475
Fecha de publicación1997-06-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaActa Psychiatrica Scandinavica (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0001-690X • E-ISSN: 1600-0447
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/j.1600-0447.1997.tb10134.x
PMID9242841
OpenAlexW2123715234
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas73
Referencias citadas12

The objective of this study was to develop an indigenous measure of common mental disorders (CMD) in the Shona language in Zimbabwe. Ethnographic and qualitative studies elicited idioms of distress of mental disorder leading to the preliminary Shona Symptom Questionnaire (SSQ), and items from the Self‐Report Questionnaire (SRQ) were added to it. The 56‐item Preliminary Shona Symptom Questionnaire (PSSQ) was administered to 302 randomly selected primary care attenders, of whom 100 were classified as cases on the basis of agreement between care provider assessment and a psychiatric interview. Discriminant analysis identified 14 items that were the strongest predictors of mental disorder. The 14‐item SSQ has a high level of internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha=0.85). The items are a mixture of emic and etic phenomena. The total score correlates strongly with patients' self‐assessment of the emotional nature of their illness. Satisfactory specificity and sensitivity occurred at a cut‐off point of 7/8. The SSQ is the first indigenous measure of mental disorder developed in sub‐Saharan Africa to have included idioms of distress of primary care attenders and involved patients consulting traditional medical practitioners. It promises to be a useful instrument for epidemiological and clinical research. The methodology used is an innovative way of combining etic and emic methods in the evaluation of CMD.

Cronbach's alpha · Distress · Emic and etic · Indigenous · Mental health · Psychiatry · Psychometrics · Shona · Clinical Psychology · Family Caregiving in Mental Illness · Medicine · Mental Health Treatment and Access · Psychology · Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments