Comprehension and motivation in responses to a psychiatric screening instrument. Validity of the SRQ in Ethiopia.

The Self Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ), a psychiatric-case-finding instrument designed by the WHO for developing countries, was tested in Ethiopia. It was submitted to 40 patients attending a psychiatric clinic, 30 at a somatic clinic, and 40 subjects not attending a clinic. Forty per cent of the yes-answers were rated as invalid. The concept-invalidity contributed mainly to the rather poor criterion-validity of the SRQ. In addition, clinic patients seemed to heighten the number of yes-answers to express their need for help. The SRQ measured not only psychiatric complaints but also illness behaviour, even without the presence of any illness. This is a substantial disadvantage if the SRQ is applied to detect the psychiatric cases in the primary-care facilities.