Evaluating the PANSS using item response theory in forensic psychiatric samples from five European nations

Item Response Theory (IRT) describes a set of statistical models describing how individual items in a test or questionnaire relate to the underlying characteristic or trait that the test claims to measure. Until now IRT models have not been applied to the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) in forensic and general psychiatric samples to establish its psychometric properties and explore the link between psychotic symptom severity and violent behavior in schizophrenia. This study investigated patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and a history of violence from forensic institutions and non-violent patients from general psychiatric settings in five European countries. A total of 398 participants were assessed using the PANSS. IRT analysis revealed a poor model fit for the Partial Credit Model (PCM) with considerably disordered thresholds for most items. Differential item functioning (DIF) revealed significant differences between the two groups, notably for items hypothetically linked to violence risk, such as delusions and hostility. These findings reveal potential limitations when trying to compare PANSS scores across these two clinical populations.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Schizophrenia
Published
2025-11-25
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41537-025-00668-0
Primary Topic
Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Evaluating the PANSS using item response theory in forensic psychiatric samples from five European nations

Giovanni de Girolamo, Paweł Gosek, Laura Iozzino, Johannes Wancata et al.
Schizophrenia
Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending
article

Evaluating the PANSS using item response theory in forensic psychiatric samples from five European nations

Giovanni de Girolamo, Paweł Gosek, Laura Iozzino, Johannes Wancata, Rainer W. Alexandrowicz, Andreas Wippel, Marco Picchioni, Inga Markiewicz, Janusz Heitzman, Annemarie Unger, Hans Joachim Salize, Donato Martella
article en

Abstract

Item Response Theory (IRT) describes a set of statistical models describing how individual items in a test or questionnaire relate to the underlying characteristic or trait that the test claims to measure. Until now IRT models have not been applied to the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) in forensic and general psychiatric samples to establish its psychometric properties and explore the link between psychotic symptom severity and violent behavior in schizophrenia. This study investigated patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and a history of violence from forensic institutions and non-violent patients from general psychiatric settings in five European countries. A total of 398 participants were assessed using the PANSS. IRT analysis revealed a poor model fit for the Partial Credit Model (PCM) with considerably disordered thresholds for most items. Differential item functioning (DIF) revealed significant differences between the two groups, notably for items hypothetically linked to violence risk, such as delusions and hostility. These findings reveal potential limitations when trying to compare PANSS scores across these two clinical populations.

SchizophreniaVol. 11(1)
King's College London (GB), Heidelberg University (DE), University Hospital Heidelberg (DE), Central Institute of Mental Health (DE), Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli (IT), Postgraduate School of Molecular Medicine (PL), Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology (PL), Haslemere Hospital (GB), University of Klagenfurt (AT), Medical University of Vienna (AT)
Openalex Percentile: Top 52%
Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.