Sensitivity and Concurrent validity of the Japanese Version of the Euthymia Scale: A Clinimetric Analysis
Abstract Background: The present study was conducted to examine the clinimetric sensitivity of the Japanese version of the Euthymia Scale (ES-J). The concurrent validity of the ES-J was also tested.Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted. The Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview was used to determine the presence of past or current major depressive episodes (MDE). Pearson’s correlation coefficients were performed to examine the concurrent validity of the ES-J. At the same time, its clinimetric sensitivity was evaluated using both the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and multivariate regression models. Results: A total of 1030 eligible participants completed the survey. The ES-J differentiated healthy subjects from those with a past or current history of MDE, subjects with current MDE from those with sub-threshold symptoms of depression, and healthy participants from subjects with moderate to severe symptoms of psychological distress. The associations between the ES-J and measures of psychological well-being, resilience, life satisfaction, and social support were significantly positive. A negative relationship between the ES-J and measures of psychological distress was also found. Limitations: The main limitations included utilizing the cross-sectional design, excluding Item Response Theory analyses, using the population-based sample, and using only self-reported online questionnaires.Conclusions: The findings of the present study indicated that the ES-J is a valid and highly sensitive clinimetric index, which can be used as a screening measure in the clinical process of assessment of recovery, particularly when symptoms are expected to be mild and/or when dealing with subclinical symptoms of psychological distress and depression.