Further Validation of a Psychiatric Symptom Index in a Normal Population

A shortened version of the Hopkins Symptom Distress Checklist was constructed for use in a Chicago survey of stress and coping and administered to a cross-section of 2,299 non-patient adults. Labeled the Psychiatric Symptom Index, it measures intensity of 29 different symptoms and allows retrospective self-report of their duration for those respondents reporting high symptoms. This paper reports on the rationale of its construction and on its concurrent validity. For the general adult population the responses to the Index, when factor analyzed, break very clearly into four syndromes: depression, anxiety, anger, cognitive disturbance. Concurrent validity is tested by three criteria: having sought out professional help for emotional problems, having recently used psychoactive drugs, and interviewers' rating respondents' degree of tension. These criteria are significantly related to the Psychiatric Symptom Index and to each of its four syndrome factors.