SHORT-INTERVAL TEST-RETEST INTERRATER RELIABILITY OF THE STRUCTURED CLINICAL INTERVIEW FOR DSM-III-R PERSONALITY-DISORDERS (SCID-II) IN OUTPATIENTS

The short-interval test-retest interrater reliability of the Structure d Clinicial Interview for DSM-III-R personality disorders (SCID-II) wa s studied in a psychotherapy outpatient group whose main complaint was mostly an Axis I anxiety disorder. Using a test-retest approach to as sess interrater reliability, three sources of variance were taken into account (rater variance in the elicitation and interpretation of info rmation and patient variance across interviews). Base rate requirement s were established before calculating reliability coefficients, On the whole, interrater agreement on the SCID-II was found to be satisfacto ry, except for the histrionic personality traits. This is the first st udy that has estimated short-interval test-retest interrater reliabili ty of the SCID-II in outpatients, and also the first that has studied single SCID-II traits and dimensional diagnoses. The results found sup port the use of the SCID-II as a diagnostic instrument for clinical an d research purposes.