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AbstractThe Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL) is a widely used measure of symptom distress and in particular is a valuable criterion measure in psychotherapeutic drug trials. Its reliability, validity, and sensitivity to change have been well established. However, its factor structure has been subject to much debate. In previous studies a wide range of different factor structures have been found by various researchers. The aim of the present study was to produce a short, less arduous, but acceptably reliable version of HSCL with a replicable factor structure. The factor structure which was based on a previously described, robust three-factor version of the HSCL, was established using a two-step process which began with a two-factor analysts of the largest subscales, General Feelings of Distress (GFD) and Somatic Distress (SD). This was followed by a three-factor analysis of seven items from each of three subscales. The robustness of the factor structure of the resulting scale was revealed by the factor comparison procedure FACTOREP using the responses of the three subject groups. Consistent replications were obtained for the two-factor structure of the GFD and SD items, and for the three-factor structure of the seven GFD, seven SD, and seven Performance Difficulty (PD) items. The outcome was a 21-item version of the HSCL with excellent psychometric properties, which was subsequently confirmed using a fourth independent group of subjects.
Green et al. (Fri,) studied this question.