Primary research

Preliminary data concerning the reliability and psychometric properties of the Greek translation of the 20-item Subjective Well-Being Under Neuroleptic Treatment Scale (SWN-20)

Melina Siamouli¹ , Katerina Moutou¹ , Eleonora Pantoula¹ , Stamatia Magiria² , Irini Chatzivasileiou³ , Konstantinos Arapidis⁴ , Achileas Chatzivasileiou⁵ , Simeon Deres¹ and Konstantinos N Fountoulakis⁶

¹  Asclepius Mental Clinic, Veroia, Greece

²  School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece

³  State Mental Hospital of Thessaloniki, Greece

⁴  Therapeutirio Spinari Mental Clinic, Kozani, Greece

⁵  Agios Georgios Mental Clinic, Panorama Thessaloniki, Greece

⁶  Third Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece

author email corresponding author email

Annals of General Psychiatry 2009, 8:3doi:10.1186/1744-859X-8-3

Published:	21 January 2009

Abstract

Background

The 20-item Subjective Well-Being Under Neuroleptic Treatment Scale (SWN-20) is a self-report scale developed in order to assess the well-being of patients receiving antipsychotic medication independent of the improvement in their psychotic symptoms. The current study reports on the reliability and the psychometric properties of the Greek translation of the SWN-20.

Methods

A total of 100 inpatients or outpatients with schizophrenia (79 males and 21 females, aged 42.6 ± 11.35 years old) from 3 different facilities were assessed with the Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale (PANSS), the Calgary Depression Scale and the Simpson-Angus Scale, and completed the SWN-20. The statistical analysis included the calculation of Pearson product moment correlation coefficient, the Cronbach α and factor analysis with Varimax normalised rotation.

Results

The SWN-20 had an α value equal to 0.79 and all the items were equal. The factor analysis revealed the presence of seven factors explaining 66% of total variance. The correlation matrix revealed a moderate relationship of the SWN-20 and its factors with the PANSS-Negative (PANSS-N), PANSS-General Psychopathology (PANSS-G), the Simpson-Angus and the Calgary scales, and no relationship to age, education and income class.

Discussion

The Greek translation of the SWN-20 is reliable, with psychometric properties close to the original scale.