Reliability and validity of the Panic Disorder Severity Scale: replicationand extension

The Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS) is a recently developed seven-item instrument to rate overall severity of Panic Disorder. The scale has previ ously shown good psychometric properties in a sample of Panic Disorder pati ents with no more than mild agoraphobia. The purpose of this paper is to co nfirm reliability and validity. to provide an estimate of a cut-score discr iminating the presence or absence of current DSM-IV Panic Disorder, and to determine the factor structure or the instrument. Procedures: 104 psychiatr ic outpatients, including 54 with current Panic Disorder, underwent structu red diagnostic assessment and the PDSS interview. The PDSS was repeated wit hin 3-17 days. Results: we confirmed reliability and validity of the instru ment and found a one-factor solution fit the data. A cut-off score of eight identifies patients with current panic with a sensitivity or 83.3%, and a specificity of 64%. Conclusion: the PDSS is a simple. reliable instrument f or use in Panic Disorder studies. A cut-score of eight may be useful as a t ool to screen patients in settings such as primary care, for diagnosis-leve l symptoms. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.