Summary
A critical review of interview schedules currently available for the assessment of the psychiatric patient's social functioning and its impact on significant others demonstrates a number of problems in the conceptualization of role behaviour and burden on the household. The Social Behaviour Assessment Schedule (SBAS) has been designed to meet the need for a more theoretically adequate research instrument which will be of practical use in the evaluation of different treatment regimes. The SBAS takes the form of a standardized, semi-structured interview with the patient's most closely involved relative or friend. The overall structure of the schedule is described, and detailed consideration given to the contents, scoring and inter-rater reliability of the scales in the three core sections. These sections measure the patient's disturbed behaviour, the patient's social performance, and the adverse effects on the household.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Akers, R. L.: Deviant behaviour: a social learning approach. Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing 1973
Bartko, J. J.: The intraclass correlation coefficient as a measure of reliability. Psychol. Rep.19, 3–11 (1966)
Birley, J. L. T., Brown, G. W.: Crises and life changes preceding the onset or relapse of acute schizophrenia: clinical aspects. Br. J. Psychiat.116, 327–333 (1970)
Brown, G. W.: Meaning, measurement and stress of life events. In: Stressful life events: their nature and effects. (eds. B. S. Dohrenwend and B. P. Dohrenwend). New York: John Wiley 1974
Brown, G. W., Birley, J. L. T.: Crises and life changes and the onset of schizophrenia. J. Health. Soc. Behav.,9, 203–214 (1968)
Brown, G. W., Rutter, M.: The measurement of family activities and relationships: a methodological study. Hum. Relations,19, 241–263 (1966)
Brown, G. W., Birley, J. L. T., Wing, J. K.: Influence of family life on the course of schizophrenic disorders: a replication. Br. J. Psychiat.,121, 241–258 (1972)
Brown, G. W., Bone, M., Dallison, B., Wing, J. K.: Schizophrenia and social care. London: Oxford University Press 1966
Brown, G. W., Sklair, F., Harris, T. O., Birley, J. L. T.: Life events and psychiatric disorders. Part I: Some methodological issues. Psychol. Med.3, 74–87 (1973a)
Brown, G. W., Harris, T. O., Peto, J.: Life events and psychiatric disorders. Part 2: Nature of the causal link. Psychol. Med.3, 159–176 (1973b)
Clare, A. W., Cairns, V. E.: Design, development and use of a standardized instrument to assess social adjustment and dysfunction in community studies. Psychol. Med.8, 589–604 (1978)
Clark, A. W., van Sommers, P.: Contradictory demands in family relations and adjustment to school and home. Hum. Relations,14, 97–111 (1961)
Clausen, J. A., Yarrow, M. R. (eds.): Mental illness and the family. J. Soc. Iss.11, 3–66 (1955)
Cohen, J.: A coefficient of agreement for nominal scales. Educ. Psychol. Meas.20, 37–46 (1960)
Cohen, J.: Weighted Kappa: nominal scale agreement with provision for scaled disagreement or partial credit. Psychol. Bull.70, 213–220 (1968)
Copas, J. B., Fryer, M., Robin, A.: Treatment settings in psychiatry. London: Henry Kimpton 1974
Creer, C, Wing, J. K.: Schizophrenia at home. London: Institute of Psychiatry 1974
Dean, J. P., Whyte, W. F.: How do you know if the informant is telling the truth? Hum. Organ.17, 34–38 (1958)
Ebel, R. L.: Estimation of the reliability of ratings. Psychometrika16, 407–424 (1951)
Endicott, J., Spitzer, R. L.: Current and past psychopathology scales (CAPPS). Arch. Gen. Psychiatry27, 678–687 (1972a)
Endicott, J., Spitzer, R. L.: What! Another rating scale? The psychiatric evaluation form. J. Nerv. Ment. Dis.154, 88–104 (1972b)
Fleiss, J. L., Spitzer, R. L., Burdock, E. I.: Estimating accuracy of judgment using recorded interviews. Arch. Gen. Psychiatry,12, 562–567 (1965)
Frank, J. K.: Persuasion and healing. Baltimore: John Hopkins Press 1961
Freeman, H. E., Simmons, O. G.: The mental patient comes home. New York: John Wiley 1963
Garrett, A.: Interviewing: Its principles and methods. New York: Family Service Assoc. America 1942
Grad, J., Sainsbury, P.: Evaluation of treatment and services. In: The burden on the community. The epidemiology of mental illness. Symposium, pp. 69–116. London: Oxford University Press 1962
Grad, J., Sainsbury, P.: Mental illness and the family. Lancet1963 I, 544–547
Gurland, B. J., Yorkston, N. J., Stone, A. R., Frank, J. D., Fleiss, J. L.: The structured and scaled interview to assess maladjustment (SSIAM). I. Description, rationale and development. Arch. Gen. Psychiatry27, 259–264 (1972)
Hewett, S.: Towards a measure of social performance? Mimeo (1975)
Herz, M. I., Endicott, J., Spitzer, R. L.: Brief versus standard hospitalization: the families. Am. J. Psychiatry,133, 795–801 (1976)
Hirsch, S. R., Platt, S. D., Knights, A. K., Weyman, A.: Shortening hospital stay for psychiatric care: effect on patients and their families. Br. Med. J.1979 I, 442–446
Hoenig, J.: The de-segregation of the psychiatric patient. Proc. R. Soc. Med.61, 115–120 (1968)
Hoenig, J., Hamilton, M. W.: The burden on the household in an extramural psychiatric service. In: New aspects of the mental health services, pp. 612–635. (ed. H. Freeman). London: Pergamon 1967
Hoffman, L. W., Lippitt, R.: The measurement of family life variables. In: Handbook of research methods in child development (ed. P. H. Mussen). New York: John Wiley 1960
Hogarty, G. E., Katz, M. M.: Norms of adjustment and social behaviour. Arch. Gen. Psychiatry25, 470–480 (1971)
Katz, M. M., Lyerly, S. B.: Methods for measuring adjustment and social behaviour in the community. I. Rationale, description, discriminative validity and scale development. Psychol. Rep. Monogr. Supp. 4-VI3,13, 503–535 (1963)
Linn, M. W., Sculthorpe, W. B., Evje, M., Slater, P. H., Goodman, S. P.: A social dysfunction rating scale. J. Psychiatr. Res.6, 299–306 (1969)
McCall, G. J., Simmons, J. L.: Identities and interactions. New York: Free Press 1966
Mizruchi, E.: Success and opportunity: a study of anomie. New York: Free Press 1954
Nadel, S. F.: The theory of social structure. London: Cohen and West 1957
Paykel, E. S., Weissman, M. M., Prusoff, B. A., Tonks, C.M.: Dimensions of social adjustment in depressed women. J. Nerv. Ment. Dis.152, 158–172 (1971)
Platt, S. D.: The concept of ‘social adjustment’ in psychiatric interview schedules: a critique. (Forthcoming (a))
Platt, S. D.: On establishing the validity of objective data: Can we rely on across-interview agreement? (Forthcoming (b))
Rutter, M., Brown, G. W.: The reliability and validity of measures of family life and relationships in families containing a psychiatric patient. Social Psychiatry1, 38–53 (1966)
Ryle, G.: The concept of mind. London: Hutchinson 1950
Spitzer, R. L., Endicott, J., Fleiss, J. L., Cohen, J.: The psychiatric status schedule: a technique for evaluating psychopathology and impairment in role functioning. Arch. Gen. Psychiatry23, 41–55 (1970)
Spitzer, R. L., Fleiss, J. L., Burdock, E. I., Hardesty, A. S.: The mental status schedule: rationale, reliability and validity. Compr. Psychiatry5, 384–395 (1964)
Spitzer, R. L., Gibbon, M., Endicott, J.: Family evaluation form. Biometrics Research, New York State Department of Mental Hygiene: New York 1971
Stevens, B. C.: Dependence of schizophrenic patients on elderly relatives. Psychol. Med.2, 17–32 (1972)
Stevens, B.C.: The role of fluphenazine decanoate in lessening the burden of chronic schizophrenics on the community. Psychol. Med.3, 141–158 (1973)
Weissman, M. M., The assessment of social adjustment: a review of techniques. Arch. Gen. Psychiatry32, 357–365 (1975)
Weissman, M. M., Paykel, E. S.: The depressed woman: a study of social relationships. London: University of Chicago Press 1974
Wing, J. K., Birley, J.L.T., Cooper, J. E., Graham, P., Isaacs, A. D.: Reliability of a procedure for measuring and classifying ‘Present Psychiatric State’. Br. J. Psychiatry113, 499–515 (1967)
Wing, J. K., Cooper, J. E., Sartorius, N: The measurement and classification of psychiatric symptoms. London: Cambridge University Press 1974
Wing, J. K., Nixon, D. M., Mann, S. A., Leff, J. P.: Reliability of the PSE (9th edition) used in a population study. Psychol. Med.7, 505–516 (1977)
Yaukey, D. B., Roberts, B. J., Griffiths, W.: Husbands' vs wives' responses to a fertility survey. Pop. Studies19, 29–43 (1965)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This schedule was developed during the course of a research investigation which was supported by a grant from the Department of Health and Social Security. We would like to thank Mr. J. W. Borland for writing the computer programme to calculate the values of weighted kappa, and Dr. K. D. Macrae for general statistical advice.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Platt, S., Weyman, A., Hirsch, S. et al. The Social Behaviour Assessment Schedule (SBAS): Rationale, contents, scoring and reliability of a new interview schedule. Soc Psychiatry 15, 43–55 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00577960
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00577960