title: Reliability and validity of the SA-45: further evidence from a primary care setting.
abstract: A project designed to demonstrate the benefits of integrating behavioral healthcare services in primary medical care settings provided an opportunity to further investigate the psychometric properties of the SA-45 using data from a sample of 126 adults seeking medical services in a family practice setting. Specifically, the appropriateness of the SA-45 s adult nonpatient norms, as well as cross-validation of its test-retest reliability and construct validity, was investigated from the first set of data gathered for this project. The results suggested that use of the SA-45 nonpatient norms with primary care populations is appropriate. Three-month test-retest correlations between Depression scale scores and SA-45 and SA-24-predicted GSI scores were found to be moderate but highly significant. In addition, correlations among the SA-45 scales and indices and their correlations with the SF-12 Mental and Physical Component Summary scales added further support for the psychometric integrity of the SA-45. Finally, only partial indirect support was obtained for the SA-45 s ability to accurately classify patients as requiring further evaluation for behavioral health problems. Limitations of the study are discussed and suggestions for future research are presented.
authors.affiliation: United Behavioral Health, Health Plans Division, Minneapolis, MN 55440-1459, USA.
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Maruish
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bershadsky
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Goldstein
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000592:standards*; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results