AUTHOR=Ishigaki Takuma , Shimada Takeshi , Tanoue Hiroki , Yoshinaga Naoki , Nishiguchi Yuki , Ishikawa Ryotaro , Hosono Masahito 

TITLE=Reliability and validity of the Nepean Beliefs Scale for delusions and overvalued ideas in chronic schizophrenia: analysis of a preliminary pilot study

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry

VOLUME=14

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1298429

DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1298429

ISSN=1664-0640

ABSTRACT=<sec id="sec1"><title>Introduction</title><p>The Nepean Beliefs Scale by Brakoulias et al. is an interview-based multidimensional instrument that measures pathological beliefs in various psychiatric disorders. This study examined the reliability and validity of Nepean Beliefs Scale (NBS) for delusions and overvalued ideas in patients with chronic-phase schizophrenia. Methods: Multiple raters at two healthcare settings examined the beliefs of 28 individuals with schizophrenia using the NBS. Concurrently, PANSS, PDI-21, BCIS, PHQ-9 and GAD-7 were administered.</p></sec><sec id="sec2"><title>Results</title><p>The NBS had high reliability and correlation with relevant scales.</p></sec><sec id="sec3"><title>Discussion</title><p>The NBS was found to have sufficient reliability and validity for assessing the pathological beliefs of patients with chronic schizophrenia. Although NBS is an easy-to-instruct instrument, it should be noted that appropriate explanations and examples should be added to instructions to obtain reliable responses from patients with chronic schizophrenia.</p></sec>