title: Validity and reliability of the French-language version of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The main objective of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the French-language version of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS).
  
  
  METHODS
  The validity and reliability of the PANSS were studied in a population of 342 patients diagnosed as schizophrenic according to DSM-III-R criteria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study of the internal consistency and principal-component analysis of the initial structure with three subscales (positive, negative and general psychopathology) led us to investigate other factorial structures. We isolated a 5-factor structure (negative, positive, hostility, disorganization and anxiety/depression) explaining 57.5% of the total variance. The internal consistency of the 5 factors isolated was good (0.87 for the negative factor, 0.82 for the positive factor, 0.78 for the hostility factor, 0.71 for the disorganization factor and 0.68 for the anxiety/depression factor, respectively). The validity study on the external criteria confirmed the relationship between the negative and anxiety/depression factors and the extrapyramidal symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The stability of the PANSS factorial warrants discussion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, CHU Sainte Marguerite, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lançon
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Reine
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Llorca
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Auquier
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000592:standards*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014177:Translations