EPA-0329 – Hypomania check-list(hcl-32) : reliability and validity of the online version

Abstract

Introduction Bipolar disorder type II(BDII) has a prevalence of about 5% of the population according to different studies(1). There is evidence that the diagnosis of bipolar disorder patients may be delayed in 8 to 10 years, and this is especially relevant in BDII, where hypomania is often overlooked (2). The HCL-32 is a widely used and reliable instrument for the detection of previous hypomanic episodes and was validated in several languages, including Spanish (3). The massive use of internet and new technologies, may help to make this tool available to a greater extend of the population and could help detect even more cases. Accordingly, we evaluated the online version of the HCL-32. Objetives To evaluate the validity and reliability of the HCL-32 online Spanish version. Methodology We recruited 110 consecutive outpatients with different diagnosis, who agreed to participate and signed an informed consent. They were asked to complete a paper version(Pv)of HCL-32 in addition to an online version(Ov) sent by email within two weeks. The results were analyzed using SPSS v21. Results The HCL32 Pv showed a high internal consistency as well as the Ov(Cronbach's α, 0,91 and 0,90 respectively). The total score correlation between both versions was high(0,94, p Conclusion The online Spanish version of the HCL-32 for the screening of hypomanic episodes has the same good psychometric properties as the paper version, which makes it suitable to be available to more people through Internet.