Distribution of CORE-OM scores in a general population, clinical cut-off points and comparison with the CIS-R.
BACKGROUND
Although measures of psychopathology are designed for use in clinical populations, their meaning derives from comparison with normal populations.


OBJECTIVE
To compare the distribution of scores on the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation-Outcome Measure (CORE-OM) from a general population sample with the distribution in an aggregated clinical sample to derive recommended cut-off points for determining clinical significance.


METHODS
The CORE-OM general population sample was based on a weighted subsample of participants in the psychiatric morbidity follow-up survey who completed valid CORE-OM forms following their interview (effective n=535).


RESULTS
Comparison of the CORE-OM general population sample with a clinical sample aggregated from previous studies (n=10761) yielded a cut-off score of 9.9 on the 0-40 scale of the CORE-OM. The CORE-OM was highly correlated (r=0.77) with the Clinical Interview Schedule-Revised, supporting convergent validity.


CONCLUSIONS
We recommend rounding the CORE-OM cut-off score to 10. However, cut-off scores must be used thoughtfully and adjusted to fit context and purpose.
Connell
Janice
J
Psychological Therapies Research Centre, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK. j.connell@leeds.ac.uk
Barkham
Michael
M
Stiles
William B
WB
Twigg
Elspeth
E
Singleton
Nicola
N
Evans
Olga
O
Miles
Jeremy N V
JN
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological / Q000592:standards; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000592:standards*