An Exploration of the Psychometric Properties of the French Version of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale

Abstract

The psychometric properties of the French version of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) were studied in a population of 85 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia in accordance with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III-R) criteria. The results of the study of the properties (internal consistency and principal-component analysis) of the initial structure with 3 scales (positive, negative, and general psychopathology) led us to investigate other factorial structures. We thus isolated a 5-factor structure (negative, hostility, positive, disorganization, and anxiety), explaining 54.7% of the total variance. The internal consistency of the 5 factors isolated was good (0.79, negative factor; 0.71, hostility factor; 0.77, positive factor; 0.66, disorganization factor; and 0.61, anxiety factor). The 3-subscale structure of the PANSS is discussed.