Internal consistency and temporal stability of the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences (CAPE): A reliability generalization meta-analysis

Abstract

Psychotic experiences (PE) are prevalent in general and clinical populations and can increase the risk for mental disorders in young people. The Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences (CAPE) is a widely used measure to assess PE in different populations and settings. However, the current knowledge on their overall reliability is limited. We examined the reliability of the CAPE-42 and later versions, testing the role of age, sex, test scores, and clinical status as moderators. A systematic search was conducted on the Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, EBSCOhost, ProQuest, and GoogleScholar databases. Internal consistency and temporal stability indices were examined through reliability generalization meta-analysis (RGMA). Moderators were tested through meta-regression analysis. From a pool of 1,015 records, 90 independent samples were extracted from 71 studies. Four versions showed quantitative evidence for inclusion: CAPE-42, CAPE-20, CAPE-P15, and CAPE-P8. Internal consistency indices were good (α/ω≈.725–0.917). Temporal stability was only analyzed for the CAPE-P15, yielding a moderate but not-significant effect (r=0.672). The evidence for temporal stability is scant due to the limited literature, and definitive conclusions cannot be drawn. Further evidence on other potential moderators such as adverse experiences or psychosocial functioning is required.