Validation of the Five-Factor Model of the Arabic Version of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale in Schizophrenia

Background: The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) is a widely used assessment for patients with schizophrenia across clinical and research settings. This scale allows the classification of the psychotic symptoms to better understand the psychopathology in patients with schizophrenia. There are no available data on the different components of psychopathology in Arab patients with schizophrenia. Objectives: This study examined the factor structure of the validated Arabic version of the PANSS in a sample of Arab patients with schizophrenia. Methods: The Arabic version of the PANSS was administered to 101 patients with schizophrenia, and principal component analysis (PCA) was carried out after the cross-cultural adaptation and validation of this version. Results: This sample had more males (66.3%) than females (33.7%) with a mean age of 35.03 years (SD = 9.99). PCA showed that 28 items loaded on 5 components: cognitive, negative, excited, depressed and positive. These factors explained 63.19% of variance. The 2 remaining items, grandiosity and somatic concerns, did not load well on any of these components. Conclusion: Our results support the common 5-dimension PANSS model shown in other cultures with different languages. Nevertheless, there were minor differences, which could reflect cultural or semantic differences. (C) 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel