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A comparative study of insight scales and their relationship to psychopathological and clinical variables

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 March 1998

M. SANZ ,
G. CONSTABLE ,
I. LOPEZ-IBOR ,
R. KEMP  and
A. S. DAVID
M. SANZ
Affiliation:
From the Departmento de Psiquiatria, Hospital G. Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain; and Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, London
G. CONSTABLE
Affiliation:
From the Departmento de Psiquiatria, Hospital G. Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain; and Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, London
I. LOPEZ-IBOR
Affiliation:
From the Departmento de Psiquiatria, Hospital G. Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain; and Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, London
R. KEMP
Affiliation:
From the Departmento de Psiquiatria, Hospital G. Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain; and Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, London
A. S. DAVID
Affiliation:
From the Departmento de Psiquiatria, Hospital G. Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain; and Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, London
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Abstract

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Background. Research on the subject of insight has been hampered by difficulties in definition and reliable measurement.

Methods. We compared several rating scales to measure insight on a group of 33 psychotic patients as well as assessing patients' psychopathology, clinical characteristics and cognitive functioning.

Results. Most currently used scales showed a high degree of inter-correlation. Measures of insight related strongly to the presence of delusions; grandiosity (inversely), and depression (positively). Higher insight scores correlated with indices of treatment compliance and inversely with substance abuse. Measures of pre-morbid IQ and impaired executive functioning, including the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test were not associated with poor insight.

Conclusions. The study highlights aspects of psychopathology and clinical variables particularly related to insight and supports the continued use of standardized scales in further research in this area.

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 28 , Issue 2 , March 1998 , pp. 437 - 446
Copyright
© 1998 Cambridge University Press