title: Reliability and validity of the Borderline Evaluation of Severity Over Time (BEST): a self-rated scale to measure severity and change in persons with borderline personality disorder.
abstract: A new self-rated scale to measure severity and change in persons with borderline personality disorder (BPD) is described. The Borderline Evaluation of Severity Over Time (BEST) was developed to rate the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors typical of BPD. Data were collected in the course of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of Systems Training for Emotional Predictability and Problem Solving (STEPPS) for subjects with BPD. The instrument showed moderate test-retest reliability, high internal consistency, and high discriminant validity. Its 15 separate items showed a moderate or better correlation with the total score. The BEST was also sensitive to clinical change as early as week 4 of the RCT and correlated highly with other measures of illness severity. We conclude that the new scale is both reliable and valid in measuring severity and change in persons with BPD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City 52242, USA.
authors.forename: Bruce
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pfohl
authors.forename: Nancee
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Blum
authors.forename: Don
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: St John
authors.forename: Brett
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: McCormick
authors.forename: Jeff
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: Donald W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Black
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011340:Problem Solving; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires