Performance of the Italian Version of the Subjective Well-being under Neuroleptic (SWN) Scale in Schizophrenic Outpatients

BACKGROUND: Several studies indicate that subjective experience toward antipsychotic drugs (APs) in schizophrenic patients is a key factor in ensuring a smooth recovery from the illness. OBJECTIVE: The principal aim of this study was to establish the psychometric performance of the Subjective Well-being Under Neuroleptic (SWN) scale in its Italian version and to assess, through the SWN scale, the subjective experience of stabilized psychotic outpatients in maintenance with APs. METHODS: The original short version of SWN, consisting of 20 items, was back translated, and a focus group was also conducted to better improve the comprehension of the scale. RESULTS: The results showed a good performance of the Italian version of the SWN as documented by the internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha; 0.85). A satisfactory subjective experience was reported in the sample of schizophrenic outpatients interviewed (SWN mean total score: 84.95, SD: 17.5). CONCLUSIONS: The performance of the SWN scale in the present study was very similar to that reported by Naber et al. in the original validation study. Large multi-center studies are needed to better establish differences in the subjective experience of schizophrenic patients treated with first- and second-generation APs.