DISTRESS REDUCTION DURING THE STRUCTURED CLINICAL INTERVIEW FOR DSM-III-R

In an attempt to assess the influence of standardized diagnostic inter views on psychological distress in research volunteers, the Visual Ana logue Scale (VAS) was used to measure anxiety and depression during th e Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R, Non-patient version (SC ID). Subjects were 50 adults with concerns related to the human immuno deficiency virus who were seeking testing and treatment in research tr ials. Repeated measures analysis of variance showed significant decrea ses in distress by the end of the interview: 72% of subjects reported diminished anxiety, and 54% reported diminished depression. Thus, the SCID appeared to provide a positive interview experience, a finding th at may serve to reassure subjects, their families, and review boards r egarding participation in studies that employ structured interviews.