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A Measure for the Reliability of a Rating Scale Based on Longitudinal Clinical Trial Data

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Abstract

A new measure for reliability of a rating scale is introduced, based on the classical definition of reliability, as the ratio of the true score variance and the total variance. Clinical trial data can be employed to estimate the reliability of the scale in use, whenever repeated measurements are taken. The reliability is estimated from the covariance parameters obtained from a linear mixed model. The method provides a single number to express the reliability of the scale, but allows for the study of the reliability’s time evolution. The method is illustrated using a case study in schizophrenia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centrum voor Statistiek, Universiteit Hasselt, Agoralaan–Gelouw D, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium

    Annouschka Laenen

Authors
  1. Annouschka Laenen
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  2. Ariel Alonso
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  3. Geert Molenberghs
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Annouschka Laenen.

Additional information

The authors are grateful to J&J PRD for kind permission to use their data. We gratefully acknowledge support from the Belgian IUAP/PAI network “Statistical Techniques and Modeling for Complex Substantive Questions with Complex Data.”

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Laenen, A., Alonso, A. & Molenberghs, G. A Measure for the Reliability of a Rating Scale Based on Longitudinal Clinical Trial Data. Psychometrika 72, 443–448 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11336-007-9002-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11336-007-9002-7

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