Am J Psychiatry 1986; 143:752-755
Copyright © 1986 by American Psychiatric Association
The reliability of axis V of DSM-III
T Fernando, G Mellsop, K Nelson, K Peace and J Wilson
The authors studied the reliability of axis V of DSM-III by analyzing
ratings of 97 psychiatric inpatients made by a multidisciplinary team of
clinicians. The intraclass correlation coefficient for ratings of the
overall sample was .49, lower than the figure found during the DSM- III
field trials. The psychiatric diagnosis, age, ethnicity, marital status,
and sex of the patient did not significantly influence reliability. The
authors recommend more explicit instructions in the administration of the
scale, the use of a standardized interview, and more training for raters as
ways of increasing reliability.
