Abstract
The Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS) is an instrument that can be easily applied for routine evaluation of the impact of mental disorders on patient functioning. In spite of the interest in its use, there is very little information available on its psychometric characteristics and even less in Spanish. The objective of this study was to analyse its psychometric characteristics. The sample consisted of 441 patients treated in a community mental health unit. They filled out the WSAS and two psychopathology measures, one for anxiety and the other for depression. Fifty-five of them, chosen at random, were asked to fill out the scale again a second time to explore its temporal reliability. The scale showed high internal consistency, a single factor that explained 60.4% of the variance, and temporal reliability of .78 for the total score. Significant correlations were found between the WSAS scores and the psychopathological measures, as well as significant differences between those working and those on leave. The results confirm the validity and reliability of the scale and support its possible use for routine evaluation of the functional impact of mental disorders.
Highlights
One very relevant part of the evaluation of patients with mental disorders is related to the impact those disorders have on their social functioning and ability to work
The Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS; Mundt et al, 2002) is an instrument developed for evaluating the impact of psychopathological disorders on work and social adjustment
Participants All referrals to a community mental health unit (CMHU), who had been diagnosed with a mental disorder according to ICD-10 (World Health Organization, 1992), but excluding those diagnosed with psychosis, organic brain disorders or intellectual deficit, were invited to participate in the study during their first visit, and gave their voluntary consent to participate
Summary
One very relevant part of the evaluation of patients with mental disorders is related to the impact those disorders have on their social functioning and ability to work. It is of interest to explore its characteristics in various clinical groups and provide new psychometric data for exploring its feasibility as an instrument for routine use in study of results and follow-up in daily clinical practice. The Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS) is an instrument that can be applied for routine evaluation of the impact of mental disorders on patient functioning. Method: The sample consisted of 441 patients treated in a community mental health unit They filled out the WSAS and two psychopathology measures, one for anxiety and the other for depression. Conclusions: The results confirm the validity and reliability of the scale and support its possible use for routine evaluation of the functional impact of mental disorders
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