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Cited by 255Mental Health Treatment and AccessPsychometric Methodologies and TestingMental Health and Psychiatry

The Shona symptom questionnaire: the development of an indigenous measure of common mental disorders in Harare

Patel, V., Simunyu, E., Gwanzura, F., Lewis, G., Mann, A.·1997·Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica
DOI 10.1111/j.1600-0447.1997.tb10134.x
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Abstract

The objective of this study was to develop an indigenous measure of common mental disorders (CMD) in the Shona language in Zimbabwe. Ethnographic and qualitative studies elicited idioms of distress of mental disorder leading to the preliminary Shona Symptom Questionnaire (SSQ), and items from the Self‐Report Questionnaire (SRQ) were added to it. The 56‐item Preliminary Shona Symptom Questionnaire (PSSQ) was administered to 302 randomly selected primary care attenders, of whom 100 were classified as cases on the basis of agreement between care provider assessment and a psychiatric interview. Discriminant analysis identified 14 items that were the strongest predictors of mental disorder. The 14‐item SSQ has a high level of internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha=0.85). The items are a mixture of emic and etic phenomena. The total score correlates strongly with patients' self‐assessment of the emotional nature of their illness. Satisfactory specificity and sensitivity occurred at a cut‐off point of 7/8. The SSQ is the first indigenous measure of mental disorder developed in sub‐Saharan Africa to have included idioms of distress of primary care attenders and involved patients consulting traditional medical practitioners. It promises to be a useful instrument for epidemiological and clinical research. The methodology used is an innovative way of combining etic and emic methods in the evaluation of CMD.

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  • In a subpopulation (more frequently in men), depression may instead be part of an 'externalizing' spectrum, also including anger attacks, aggression, substance abuse and risk-taking behaviour.

    “However, in a subpopulation (more frequently in men), depression may instead be part of an 'externalizing' spectrum, also including anger attacks, aggression, substance abuse and risk-taking behaviour. 83”

    From Time for united action on depression: a Lancet–World Psychiatric Association Commission (2022) · cites this paper as [83]

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Authors
Patel, V., Simunyu, E., Gwanzura, F., Lewis, G., & Mann, A.
Affiliations
  • University of Zimbabwe (ZW)
  • University of Wales (GB)
Corresponding author
Patel, V.
ORCID
Venue
Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica
Publisher
Wiley
Published
1997-06
Volume
95
Issue
6
Pages
469-475
ISSN
  • 0001-690X (ISSN-L)
  • 1600-0447
DOI
10.1111/j.1600-0447.1997.tb10134.x
OpenAlex
W2123715234
Cited by
255
References
15
Citations by year
2026: 24 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 22 · 2022: 26 · 2021: 19 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 14 · 2016: 15 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 14 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 1
FWCI
8.54
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor, 3817 d)
Locations
  • Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
Funders
Beit Trust
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
  • Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Management Science and Operations Research › Psychometric Methodologies and Testing
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Mental Health and Psychiatry
Keywords
common mental disorders, Shona language, idioms of distress, self-report questionnaire, traditional healers, scale development, Zimbabwe
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Attitude to Health, Mental Disorders, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Pilot Projects, Primary Health Care, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Surveys and Questionnaires, Sampling Studies, Zimbabwe, Reproducibility of Results, Discriminant Analysis, Chi-Square Distribution, Medicine, African Traditional, Focus Groups

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