Abstract
Background: While self-report questionnaires measuring psychotic experiences (PEs) in community individuals have recently been made available in the Arabic language, their length may be a barrier to PEs assessment in settings in lower-to-middle income Arab countries, that often operate under severe resources constraints. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Arabic-language version of the shortest version of the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences-Positive (CAPE-P), i.e. the CAPE-9, in a sample of community adults.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried-out using a web-based questionnaire. A total of 685 Arabic-speaking adults from the general population of Lebanon (mean age of 23.54 ± 4.58 years, 66.0% females) participated.
Results: The internal structure of the Arabic CAPE-9 demonstrated that the overall model fit of the tridimensional factor structure (consisting of “Persecutory Ideation”, “Bizarre Experiences”, and “Perceptual abnormalities” sub-dimensions) was acceptable. A unidimensional model was tested and exhibited borderline fit indices, with all nine items loading onto one factor. Internal consistency coefficients estimates were of alpha=.84 and omega=.84 for the total score, and ranged from .64 - .70 for omega and alpha values for the three sub-scores. Measurement invariance between males and females was established for both models, with no significant difference noticed between genders. Finally, significant positive associations were found between PEs and anxiety, depression, insomnia severity, and aggression, indicating the validity of the scale.
Conclusion: As a short, simple, economic, and convenient-to-administer measure of PEs, the CAPE-9 is amenable to widespread use. It has, therefore, the potential to foster research and clinical practice by easing data collection, lessening burden and enhancing engagement of respondents. It may substantially improve recognition of a substantial proportion of undetected patients with psychotic disorders, and contribute to reducing the very long duration of untreated psychosis still observed in Arab countries.