Assessing delusional ideation: A narrative review of self-report instruments

Abstract

According to recent models of recovery in psychosis, the patients’ perspectives about their own difficulties, symptoms and goals (health-related and in other areas) are of major importance in intervention. Self-report measures have been increasingly studied and several authors have pointed out their validity, reliability and clinical utility in people with psychotic-disorders. The present study sought to review and critically analyse the available self-report instruments for assessing delusions. Four instruments met the inclusion criteria: Characteristics of Delusions Rating Scale; Beliefs Rating Scale; Peters Delusions Inventory; and Conviction of Delusional Beliefs Scale. All scales assess delusions in a multidimensional perspective and present adequate psychometric properties, although with high variability within studies. Refining the psychometric studies of the existing instruments (mainly confirmatory factor analysis, reliability and diagnostic accuracy analyses) and developing new instruments focused on coping are future areas of research interest.