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Details
Purpose
Measures psychopathology quickly
Authors
Mark A. Blais, PsyD, and Samuel Justin Sinclair, PhD
Administration Formats
Additional Details
Measure 12 Clinically Important Constructs in Adult Psychology
The SPECTRA provides a quick hierarchical assessment of adult psychopathology. It can be used to evaluate individuals in a variety of clinical settings, such as inpatient and outpatient clinics, hospitals, schools, and forensic settings. Provides information relevant for intake, clinical diagnosis, treatment planning, and monitoring.
Features and benefits
- Developed using a rational-empirical method based on the three factor quantitative model.
- Can be used to evaluate individuals in a variety of clinical settings.
- Composed of 12 clinical scales: Depression (DEP), Anxiety (ANX), Social Anxiety (SOC), Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS), Alcohol Problems (ALC), Severe Aggression (AGG), Antisocial (ANTI), Drug Problems (DRG), Psychosis (PSY), Paranoid Ideation (PAR), Manic Activation (MAN), and Grandiose Ideation (GRA).
- The clinical scales are organized into three higher-order spectra:
- Internalizing: DEP, ANX, SOC, PTS.
- Externalizing: ALC, AGG, ANTI, DRG.
- Reality-Impairing: PSY, PAR, MAN, GRA.
- Also includes three supplemental scales: Cognitive Concerns (COG), Psychosocial Functioning (PF), and Suicidal Ideations (SUI).
- The spectra scores combine to provide a General Psychopathology
- Measures 12 clinically important constructs (depression, anxiety, social anxiety, post-traumatic stress, alcohol problems, severe aggression, antisocial behavior, drug problems, psychosis, paranoid ideation, manic activation, and grandiose ideation).
- Constructs are organized into three higher-order psychopathology spectra (Internalizing, Externalizing, and Reality-Impairing).
- These spectra scores combine to provide a General Psychopathology Index (GPI) which measures the total burden of psychopathology.
- Maps on to DSM-5™ conditions and links assessment findings to quantitative model research literature.
- Learn about the development of the SPECTRA with authors Dr. Justin Sinclair and Dr. Mark Blais during an interview with Dr. Jeremy Sharp in PAR Training and in our blog.
- Learn about how the SPECTRA provides a hierarchical–dimensional assessment of psychopathology with our free hierarchical interpretation worksheet located in the resources section.
- The 12 clinical scales align with common DSM-5™ diagnoses.
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FAQs
What is the technical information for the SPECTRA?
Test structure
Features 96 self-report items that can be completed and scored via carbonless form, plus three supplemental scales, one validity scale, and one response style indicator.
Technical information
- Normative data are based on a sample of 1,062 individuals ranging in age from 18 to 91 years representative of the U.S. population.
- Older adult, college student, and mild and moderate clinical samples were collected.
- SPECTRA scales correlate highly with the PID-5, PDQ, SBQ-R, PAI, NEO-FFI-3, BRIEF-A, and more.
Administration
- Administer with paper and pencil; online administration is available on PARiConnect, our online assessment platform.
- Administration takes 15-20 minutes.
- Qualification level C.
- Features 96 self-report items that can be completed and scored via carbonless form.
- Items are written at a fourth-grade reading level.
- Includes a Fast Guide to help users learn quickly how to administer.
Scoring and reporting
- Score in approximately 10 minutes; online scoring and reporting are available on PARiConnect, our online assessment platform.
- Maps on toDSM-5™conditions and links assessment findings to quantitative model research literature.
- The Score Summary/Profile Form is a visual representation of SPECTRA scores, and may inform interpretation trends within the scores.
Reliability, validity, & norms
- Normative data are based on a sample of 1,062 individuals ranging in age from 18 to 91 years representative of the U.S. population.
- Older adult, college student, and mild and moderate clinical samples were collected.
- Reliable change scores were calculated for the scales, spectra, and GPI and are provided in the Professional Manual.
- Reliability coefficients for the scales (with the exception of DRG) range from .73 to .96. • Reliability for the spectra and GPI ranged from .90 to .96.
- SPECTRA scales correlate highly with the PID-5, the PDQ, the SBQ-R, the PAI, the NEO-FFI-3, the BRIEF-A, and more.
- The internal consistency estimates for the SPECTRA scales across the different demographic groups indicate little variability in internal consistency as a function of age, gender, or race/ethnicity.
- The pattern of correlations in the expected directions with a wide variety of measures of psychopathology, normal and abnormal personality, behavior, and executive functioning provides evidence to support the convergent validity of the SPECTRA. 3
What is the three-factor (quantitative) model?
Whether measured as discrete disorders or continuous dimensions, psychopathology demonstrates substantial covariation and comorbidity. Multivariate research has shown that comorbidity reflects the presence of higher-order spectra that organize a wide range of psychiatric conditions into three broad dimensions: Internalizing, Externalizing, and Reality-Impairing. Discovery of these spectra offers a more parsimonious model for conceptualizing, measuring, and studying psychiatric disorders while avoiding the problems associated with comorbidity. Informed by quantitative model research, the SPECTRA provides an integrated hierarchical assessment of psychopathology from lower-order clinical constructs, up through multiple spectra, as well as critical information about cognitive and adaptive capacity.
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