title: The validity of the German version of the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS-D): a clinician-rating for the differential assessment of the severity of mental disorders.
abstract: The Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS) is an internationally-established clinician-rating instrument for the differential assessment of the severity of patients with mental disorders. The aim of this study was to examine the validity of the German version of the HoNOS (HoNOS-D). Evaluation of validity, including factor validity, convergent and discriminant validity and sensitivity to change, was conducted on a large, virtually representative, clinical sample of patients with mental disorders in inpatient psychotherapy (Study 1, N = 3169). Additional assessment of criterion-based validity was completed using another clinical sample of patients with mental disorders (Study 2, N = 55). Although factor validity of the HoNOS-D and its total score could not be confirmed as expected, the majority of single items of the HoNOS-D proved to be valid in terms of convergent validity, criterion-based validity and sensitivity to change. Hence, single items, rather than the total score of the HoNOS-D, can be recommended for obtaining a picture of the impairment of patients with mental disorders in the clinical setting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Psychology, Centre of Psychosocial Medicine, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany. sandreas@uke.uni-hamburg.de
authors.forename: Sylke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Andreas
authors.forename: Timo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Harfst
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rabung
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mestel
authors.forename: Henning
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schauenburg
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hausberg
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kawski
authors.forename: Uwe
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Koch
authors.forename: Holger
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schulz
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006304:Health Status; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D055815:Young Adult