Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI)

Question 1

Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI)

Answer 1

53 item self-report symptom inventory which consists of 9 subscales; gives an overview of the client’s symptoms/psychological distress and symptom severity

Question 2

Global Severity Index (GSI)

Answer 2

measures the number of reported symptoms and the intensity of the symptoms

raw score = total sum / # of responses

–>high _ _ _ = high degree of psychological distress

Question 3

Positive Symptom Distress Index (PSDI)

Answer 3

measure of symptom intensity

raw score = total sum / PST

–> low _ _ _ _ = symptoms not experienced severely/intensely

Question 4

Positive Symptom Total (PST)

Answer 4

measure of symptom breadth, array of symptoms

raw score = total # of nonzero items endorsed

–> high _ _ _ = wide range of symptoms experienced

Question 5

somatization sub scale

Answer 5

distress experienced through physical dysfunction, whether actual, amplified, or imagined

–> lowest test-retest reliability of .68 (expected that physical symptoms will vary)

Question 6

obessive-compulsive (O-C) sub scale

Answer 6

impulses, thoughts, and actions that are perceived as repetitive, unwanted, uncontrollable

–> more trait-based, expected to be relatively stable

Question 7

interpersonal sensitivity subscale

Answer 7

discomfort in interpersonal situations, negative expectations regarding relationships, and feelings of inferiority, self-doubt, and inadequacy

–> more trait-based, expected to be relatively stable

Question 8

depression sub scale

Answer 8

range of symptoms: anhedonia, dysphoria, loneliness, withdrawal, pessimism, sleep disturbance, changes in appetite, low energy; possible SI

–> more trait-based, expected to be relatively stable
–> highest internal consistency (.85) as depression has most agreed upon definition

Question 9

anxiety subscale

Answer 9

-range of symptoms: apprehension, nervousness, trembling, dread
-physiological components: rapid heart rate, tension, restlessness

Question 10

hostility subscale

Answer 10

resentment, irritability, aggression, rage

Question 11

phobic anxiety sub scale

Answer 11

excessive, irrational fear related to person, place, object or situation, more pathological aspects

–> highest test-retest reliability (.91) thus expected to remain relatively stable

Question 12

paranoid ideation subscale

Answer 12

paranoid thought, hostility, projection, grandiosity, suspiciousness, need for control based on fear of losing independence, possible presence of delusions

Question 13

psychoticism subscale

Answer 13

extremely withdrawn, isolated; possibly experience of core symptoms of schizophrenia

–> lowest level of internal consistency (.71) as more difficult to operationalize and thus items may indicate different sub scales than the one measured