The Arabic Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ) as a Psychiatric Screening Instrument in Medical Patients

Abstract

Background:The self-reporting questionnaire was originally developed by the WHO in order to screen for psychiatic disorders. To assess the validity of the Arabic self-reporting questionnaire (SRQ) as a screening instrument for psychiatric morbidity in a sample of Saudi medical patients. Methods: All patients referred for endoscopy underwent a semi-structured interview, and were then asked to fill out the SRQ. One hundred and sixty-six males and 126 females were included in the study. Results: Sixty percent of the subjects were identified by the SRQ as psychiatric cases, compared to 48.6% identified using the psychiatric interview. A cut-off point between six and seven, was found to yield a sensitivity of 93%, a specificity of 70%, and a misclassification rate of 19%. Females had more psychiatric morbidity than males. Conclusion:The validity indices and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis support the usefulness of the SRQ as a cost-effective screening instrument for psychiatric morbidity in a two-stage large population research.

Mapping the health and environmental situation in informal zones in Aleppo, Syria: report from the Aleppo household survey

“…Of particular concern is mental and psychological suffering since this is mostly a hidden problem in the Syrian society. So even if we consider that women in this region tend to somatize their psychiatric problems (Al-Subaie et al 1998), the high prevalence of both physical and mental health complaints among women in the studied communities suggests that they suffer disproportionately from these ailments. Women not only have problems with concentration/memory and depressive symptoms but they also report more problems with their personal relationships and integration in the community.…”

Physical Abuse in Low-Income Women in Aleppo, Syria

“…On the other hand, although the SRQ was found to be particularly sensitive (100% sensitivity) in identifying women with depressive disorders compared with clinical assessment (DSM III-R; Al-Subaie, Mohammed, & Al-Malik, 1998), it is not deigned to substitute clinical diagnosis (Beussenberg & Orley, 1994). It was used in this study for the purpose of identifying women with potential mental distress.…”

Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the self-reporting questionnaire among HIV+ individuals in a rural ART program in southern Uganda

“…Among non-HIV-positive populations, some studies38,42,43 report an optimal cutoff point of 6/7, and others44,45 have used the 7/8 cutoff point. Previously in Uganda, the translated but not locally adapted SRQ-20 was used to screen for depression among general hospital patients.…”