AUTHOR=Zhou Qi , Pu Cheng-cheng , Huang Bing-jie , Miao Qi , Zhou Tian-hang , Cheng Zhang , Gao Tian-Qi , Shi Chuan , Yu Xin 

TITLE=Optimal cutoff scores of the Chinese version of 15-item negative symptom assessment that indicate prominent negative symptoms of schizophrenia

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry

VOLUME=Volume 14 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1154459

DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1154459

ISSN=1664-0640

ABSTRACT=Objective: The Chinese version of 15-item Negative Symptom Assessment (NSA-15) is an instrument with a three-factor structure specifically validated for assessing negative symptoms of schizophrenia. To provide a reference for future practical applications in the recognition of schizophrenia patients with negative symptoms, this study aimed to determine an appropriate NSA-15 cutoff score regarding negative symptoms to identify prominent negative symptoms (PNS).
Methods: A total of 199 participants with schizophrenia were recruited and divided into the PNS group (n=79) and non-PNS group (n=120) according to Scale for Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) scores. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to determine the optimal NSA-15 cutoff score for identifying PNS.
Results: The optimal cutoff NSA-15 score for identifying PNS was 40. Communication, emotion and motivation factors in the NSA-15 had cutoffs of 13, 6 and 16, respectively. The communication factor score had slightly better discrimination than scores on the other two factors. The discriminant ability of the global rating of the NSA-15 was not as good as that of the NSA-15 total score (area under the curve (AUC): 0.873 vs. 0.944).
Conclusion: The optimal NSA-15 cutoff scores for identifying PNS in schizophrenia were determined in this study. The NSA-15 provides a convenient and easy-to-use assessment for identifying patients with PNS in Chinese clinical situations. The communication factor of the NSA-15 also had excellent discrimination.