J. Guerin

Psychometric appraisal of the scale for interpersonal behavior (SIB) in France

The present study was carried out in France to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Scale for Interpersonal Behavior (SIB), a multidimensional measure of difficulty and distress in assertiveness that was originally developed in The Netherlands. This appraisal was conducted with a clinical sample (N = 166) and a general population sample (N = 150). The clinical series comprised 115 patients with social phobia and 51 patients with personality disorder, 28 of whom were of the avoidant type. Support was found for internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the French SIB. Compared to controls, both social phobics and patients with an avoidant personality disorder had significantly lower mean scores on all performance scales and significantly higher ones on all distress scales, with the social phobics occupying a position in between. Findings in relation to convergent and divergent validity were quite satisfactory. Sensitivity of the French SIB for detecting change was demonstrated in a subgroup of the clinical Ss who had undergone 15 sessions of cognitive-behavioral group therapy for underassertiveness.

Study and Course of the Psychological Profile in 77 Patients Experiencing Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia after Cognitive Behaviour Therapy with or without Buspirone

BACKGROUND The change of psychopathological dimensions during treatment of panic disorder is attracting increasing interest. METHODS A population of subjects experiencing panic disorder with agoraphobia is evaluated with the French version of the factor structure of the Symptom Checklist 90 R (SCL 90 R). Two groups of patients are compared: a group receiving cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) combined with buspirone and a group receiving cognitive behaviour therapy combined with placebo. RESULTS Comparative analysis of pre- and post-test changes between both groups completing treatment showed that the combination cognitive behaviour therapy plus buspirone provided better results than those in patients who had received cognitive behaviour therapy plus placebo. This difference between treatments did not persist at the 1-year follow-up, since, while results had been effectively maintained in the CBT plus buspirone group, the CBT plus placebo group continued to improve significantly for the target dimensions of treatment. CONCLUSIONS Psychopathological dimensions on the SCL 90 R show that combination of buspirone and cognitive behaviour therapy accelerates the behaviour modification process only in the short term.

Validity and factor structure of the Obsessive Compulsive Thoughts Checklist

The Obsessive Compulsive Thoughts Checklist (OCTC; Bouvard, Mollard, Cottraux, & Guerin 1989) is a 28 item questionnaire. Patients rate their degree of disturbance of the past week on a 5-point scale. The validation study and factor analysis of the OCTC is presented. Three groups were compared: patients suffering from obsessive compulsive disorders (n = 122), patients suffering from panic disorder with agoraphobia (n = 61) and a control group (n = 80). The three groups were comparable in age and sex. Obsessive compulsive patients scored significantly higher than both agoraphobic patients and control subjects. Spearman rank correlations were used to compute convergent validity in a sub-group of obsessive compulsive patients (n = 96). The Obsessive Compulsive Thoughts Checklist correlated positively with the Compulsive Activity Checklist (rho =. 62; p <. 0001). The total score was also positively correlated with the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (YBOCS total scale: rho =. 42; p <. 0001; YBOCS obsession scale: rho =. 40; p <. 0001; YBOCS compulsion scale: rho. 37; p =. 0002). The factor structure was studied both on the sample which included agoraphobic patients and controls (n = 141) and on the obsessive compulsive patients only (n = 122). In both analyses, three identical factors were found: – factor 1: checking/perfectionism-orderliness – factor 2: responsibility/dread of harming others – factor 3: washing/contamination. Results support the validity and the internal consistency of the Obsessive Compulsive Thoughts Checklist. The factor analysis indicates that the OCTC is a three dimensional scale, reflecting a pathological need to check, a pathological sense of responsibility and a pathological need to wash, probably due to distorted thoughts about perfectionism and orderliness, an excessive need for control and fear of contamination.