Validation of the 16-item Negative Symptom Assessment

J Psychiatr Res. 1993 Jul-Sep;27(3):253-8. doi: 10.1016/0022-3956(93)90036-2.

Abstract

The dimensional structure of the 16-item Negative Symptom Assessment (NSA-16) was validated in a sample of 223 unmedicated schizophrenic inpatients and cross-validated on an independent sample of 276 patients with schizophrenia. Using a confirmatory factor analytic procedure, a five factor model was found to best characterize the structure of this rating instrument. These factors include: Communication, Emotion/Affect, Social Involvement, Motivation, and Retardation. The latent structure of the NSA-16 is similar to the larger instrument from which it was derived. The findings provide support for a multidimensional model of negative symptoms in schizophrenia and offer a useful measure for their assessment.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Randomized Controlled Trial

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Antipsychotic Agents / therapeutic use
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / statistics & numerical data*
  • Psychometrics
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Schizophrenia / classification
  • Schizophrenia / diagnosis*
  • Schizophrenia / drug therapy
  • Schizophrenic Psychology*
  • Single-Blind Method

Substances

  • Antipsychotic Agents