title: Reliability, validity and clinical utility of a Japanese version of the Social Adaptation Self-evaluation Scale as calibrated using the Beck Depression Inventory.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The Social Adaptation Self-evaluation Scale (SASS) was developed to assess the social impairment caused by depression. The purposes of this study were to develop a Japanese version of the SASS (SASS-J) and to evaluate its reliability and validity.
  
  
  METHODS
  The SASS-J and the 21-item Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were administered to 322 participants (95 working patients who were working while under treatment for depression, 99 non-working patients who were absent from their work due to depression, and 128 healthy controls). The healthy controls underwent both questionnaires twice, at baseline and 2 weeks later, in order to assess test-retest reliability.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cronbach's alpha was 0.81. Significance correlations were found between SASS-J scores at baseline and 2 weeks later in healthy controls (R = 0.845, P < 0.001). There were negative correlations between the SASS-J and BDI scores (ρ = -0.683, P < 0.001). Mean SASS-J scores differed significantly among the three groups (working patients: 33.7 ± 7.9; non-working patients: 25.2 ± 7.8; healthy controls: 36.1 ± 6.0 [mean ± SD]). The best compromise between the true positive and the false negative rate in this study was at a cut-off point of 25/26.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SASS-J showed sufficient reliability and validity, and could be considered a suitable instrument to evaluate social functioning in depressive patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan. nueda109@yahoo.co.jp
authors.forename: Nobuhisa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ueda
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Suda
authors.forename: Makiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakagawa
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakano
authors.forename: Wakako
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Umene-Nakano
authors.forename: Atsuko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ikenouchi-Sugita
authors.forename: Hikaru
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hori
authors.forename: Reiji
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yoshimura
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nakamura
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000145:classification / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012917:Social Adjustment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires