Performance of two forms of a computer psychiatric screening interview: Version I of the DISSI

This study reports on the performance of two forms of version I of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS) computer screening interview, using the traditional interviewer-administered DIS (T-DIS) as the standard. The screening interview was either self-administered (called the S-DISSI) with the subject keying in responses, or interviewer-administered (I-DISSI), with the interviewer keying in the subject's responses. Sensitivity and specificity for both forms were ample (excluding antisocial personality), ranging from 60% to 100% for sensitivity and 54% to 95% for specificity. Concordances with the T-DIS were similar for both forms of the screening interview, ranging from .10 to .87 and compared favorably to those reported by other investigators. The I-DISSI took on average 30 min less than either the T-DIS and S-DISSI. Since the performances of both versions were equivalent, the decision to use either may be based on available resources and characteristics of the study population.