Experiences with a checklist for DSM‐III‐R in the Russian Federation and Belarus. A study about the interrater reliability and the concurrent validity of the Munich Diagnostic Checklist for DSM‐III‐R

Abstract

The interrater reliability of the Munich Diagnostic Checklist (MDCL) was assessed in a small clinical sample and two population samples in the Russian Federation and Belarus. A team of Russian and Belarussian psychiatrists made DSM-III-R diagnoses, using the MDCL as the basis for a standardized interview. The interrater reliability was found to be satisfactory (kappa = 0.86 for case vs non-case distinction). In the population samples, the interviewing psychiatrist, in addition to making a DSM-III-R diagnosis, classified each respondent on a checklist of 11 clinical syndromes familiar to Russian psychiatry and made a severity rating. The overall concurrent validity indices based on the comparison of these diagnostic ratings were fairly high (kappa 0.48-0.82), suggesting considerable agreement between the DSM-III-R and traditional Russian diagnostic concepts.

Health effects of the Chernobyl disaster: illness or illness behavior? A comparative general health survey in two former Soviet regions.

“…A psychiatric examination was performed by specially trained Byelorussian and Russian psychiatrists, who administered a semistructured interview for diagnosing DSM-III-R disorders, the Munich Diagnostic Checklist (MDCL) for DSM-III-R (16). The instrument has been shown to have good reliability and validity in this study (kappa > 0.80) (17). For all assessments a time frame of 1 month (last 4 weeks) was used.…”

Mental health problems in the Gomel region (Belarus): an analysis of risk factors in an area affected by the Chernobyl disaster

“…However, validity indices using the DSM-III-R as an external criterion, were modest (accuracy 65%, sensitivity 80%, specificity 55%). Despite these modest psychometric properties, the instrument can be reliably used to make prevalence estimates on a population level using the logistic regression formula, which expresses the relationship between GHQ-scores and the probability of being a DSM-III-R case if gender is taken into account (Havenaar et al 1995). In addition, the GHQ was used as a relatively independent measure of psychological distress, using a cutoff score of 2.…”

“…The interviews were conducted by two Byelorussian psychiatrists who had received an intensive course in the use of the MDCL prior to the study. The Russian version of the MDCL has good inter-rater reliability (Cohen's kappa = 0-86 for 'case'/'non-case' distinction; 0-91 for affective disorders and 092 for anxiety disorder; Havenaar et al 1995). During the MDCL interview the respondents were queried for the presence or absence of each of the criteria for the covered diagnostic entity until sufficient information had been gathered to ascertain whether a disorder is present.…”

Screening for psychiatric disorders in an area affected by the Chernobyl disaster: the reliability and validity of three psychiatric screening questionnaires in Belarus

“…The instrument was enlarged to include sections for post-traumatic stress disorder and somatoform disorders, which were not sufficiently covered in the original version. This slightly modified, Russian version of the MDCL has good inter-rater reliability (Cohen's kappa 0-86 for 'case'/'non-case' distinction; 0-91 for affective disorders and 0-92 for anxiety disorder; Havenaar et al 1995).…”