Abstract
Using ratings by nursing staff, we assessed the validity of the Japanese version of the Social Behaviour Schedule (SBS) for patients admitted to a mental hospital for a minimum of one year. Exploratory factor analysis was used to identify the following six factors: "Odd in mixing," "Excess and inappropriate behaviour," "Lower and inappropriate behaviour," "Anti-social behaviour," "Attention-seeking in mixing," and "Depressed and anxious." Cronbach's a coefficient was calculated as 0.88, the range of inter-rater reliability values between two nurses was -0.09≦k≦0.78, the range of test-retest correlation values was 0.43≦r≦0.83, and SBS scores for problem behaviour correlated significantly with the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) rating (r = -0.65). The item "Social mixing" was found to be problematic for 52.7% of patients. This scale may therefore indicate difficulties associated with patients admitted to mental hospitals for one year or more. The data support the validity of the SBS by demonstrating the following four aspects: structure; generalizability; external aspect; and consequential aspect. The Japanese version of the SBS for long-stay patients in mental hospitals may allow measurement of unacceptable behaviours in society by nursing staff.
