title: Comparison of screening proposals for somatization disorder empirical analyses.
abstract: We report a comparison of three sets of screening criteria, plus a post hoc modification of one, for the diagnosis of somatization disorder. Included in the comparison are the DSM-III-R seven-symptom screen, 11 symptoms identified by Swartz et al., and the hierarchical screen using symptom clusters that has been proposed for DSM-IV, along with a modification to the latter. Data sets used in this test were from the St Louis Epidemiologic Catchment Area (ECA) study and a family study of alcoholism. Findings of sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value indicate advantages and disadvantages of each screening set. No one set was clearly superior; selection of screening criteria should be dependent on the intended application.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO 63110.
authors.forename: K K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Bucholz
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Dinwiddie
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Reich
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Shayka
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Cloninger
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics; D012307:Risk Factors; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology