Standardization of the Whitaker index of schizophrenic thinking (WIST) in a Mexican population: A multivariable study

Abstract

This study reports a study of a Spanish translation of Form A of the Whitaker Index of Schizophrenic Thinking (WIST) administered to 104 Mexican subjects: 40 schizophrenic (20 acute and 20 chronic) and 64 nonschizophrenic (10 nonschizophrenic hospitalized, 10 alcoholics, and 44 normals). A multiple regression analysis was carried out in order to evaluate the existing relation between each of the MMPI and WIST forms. The results suggest that this translation effectively discriminates between schizophrenics and nonschizophrenics on the WIST Total Score, Time, and Index. A cut-off of 23 on the WIST Index correctly identified 79% of the total subjects. The WIST, as well as the MMPI, separately detects in a reliable way schizophrenic subjects, but the correlation between the Index of the WIST and the MMPI 8 or schizophrenia scale by itself is not significant.