["Covert criticism"--a new criterion for determining the expressed emotion index in a five-minute speech sample of partners of depressed patients].
The expressed emotion (EE) index is a measure of affective attitudes held by relatives toward a mentally ill family member. In several studies it has been shown to be a predictor of relapse in the course of schizophrenia and depression. Since the Camberwell Family Interview (CFI) as the traditional method for assessing EE is time-consuming, a brief method--the Five-Minute Speech Sample (FMSS)--has been developed as an alternative for research and clinical work. The FMSS is also suitable for repeated application. Reliability and concurrent validity of the FMSS-EE have been demonstrated in cross-cultural samples of families with a schizophrenic member. However, application of the FMSS coding system to relatives of depressed patients in our sample proved to be problematic. Criticism, the most important EE-component, could not be assessed using the existing rating procedure. Therefore a modified version of the rating system has been developed. A new category named "covert criticism" has been defined which also includes indirect criticism. In an ongoing study a high degree of interrater reliability was achieved with the new system. Available data concerning concurrent validity indicate that clinically meaningful results can be derived by using the EE-ratings based on "covert criticism".
Leeb
B
B
Psychiatrische Klinik, Universität Heidelberg.
Mundt
C
C
Fiedler
P
P
Ernst
S
S
Lober
H
H
Münzel
C
C
D000328:Adult; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006791:Hostility; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology*; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics; D012931:Social Environment; D014705:Verbal Behavior
"Verdeckte Kritik"--ein neues Kriterium zur Bestimmung des Expressed Emotion Index nach dem Five-Minute Speech Sample bei Partnern depressiver Patienten.