Development and Preliminary Validation of a Questionnaire Assessment of Expressed Emotion

Abstract

A questionnaire for measurement of expressed emotion was constructed. It consisted of two scales, criticism and emotional overinvolvement. The questionnaire and the Camberwell Family Interview were then administered to relatives of schizophrenics, and preliminary assessments of scale reliabilities and concurrent validities were done. Both questionnaire scales were reliable. With respect to validity, the criticism scale correctly classified 88% of the subjects relative to the criticism scale of the interview. The emotional overinvolvement scale was less satisfactory (67%) but still assisted in classification of over-all expressed emotion. Expressed emotion, classification by the questionnaire, correctly identified 84% of the subjects with respect to the interview.