Measure |
Brief Description |
Psychometric Properties in Older Adults |
Strengths/Limitations |
Self-report questionnaires |
Launay-Slade Hallucinations Scale (LSHS).47 |
Designed to assess hallucination predisposition in the general community. Original version has 12 items (Launay and Slade47); an extended version has 16 items.48 Items rated on a 5-point Likert scale: "0 = certainly does not apply to me," "1 = possibly does not apply to me," "2 = unsure," "3 = possibly applies to me," and "4 = certainly applies to me." |
The E-LSHS has good validity and internal reliability (Cronbach's α = .87).49,50 Factor analyses of the E-LSHS indicate a 4-factor solution measuring; (a) auditory and visual HLEs, (b) multisensory HLEs, (c) intrusive thoughts, and (d) vivid daydreams. Psychometric data in older adults are currently being examined. For the 3 LSHS auditory hallucinations items, Cronbach's α = .869 in adults 60+ yrs (data derived from reference8). |
E-LSHS assesses a broad range of hallucinations in different modalities, including auditory, visual and olfactory, and items on hypnagogic and hypnopompic hallucinations and on sensed presence hallucinations. |
Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences (CAPE).51 |
42-item measure—designed to assess lifetime psychotic-like experiences in the general population. It contains 3 subscales assessing positive, negative psychotic symptoms, and depressive symptoms and also includes ratings of distress. |
Good validity and reliability, especially in younger samples. However, positive and negative subscales may be less reliable in older adults.52 |
Provides comprehensive information about lifetime psychotic experiences. Available in 8 languages (from: http://cape42.homestead.com/index.html) Quite long. |
Cardiff Anomalous Perceptions Scale (CAPS).53,54 |
32-item measure—designed to assess anomalous perceptual experiences in the general community and clinical groups. Items scored YES or NO. If YES, items then rated for distress, intrusiveness, and frequency on a 5-point Likert scale. |
Good validity in nonclinical (18–54 yrs) and clinical (psychotic disorder) groups (25–64 yrs). Good internal reliability (Cronbach α = .87) and test-retest reliability over 6 months (CAPS Total r = .77). Total scores uncorrelated with age.53 Psychometric properties in older adults (50 yrs and above) currently being examined. |
Uses neutral, everyday language. Designed to assess anomalous perceptual experiences, rather than general aspects of psychosis-like experiences. Validated in Spanish.55 Freely available: https://osf.io/fm34z/ Quite long. |
Psychosis and Hallucinations Questionnaire (PsycHQ).56 Informant version available.57 |
20-item measure—designed to assess hallucinations and other psychotic symptoms, attention, and sleep disturbance in Parkinson's Disease (PD). Frequency is rated on a 5-point Likert scale: Never, < 1 time per week, Weekly, Most days a week, Daily. Distress is rated on a 4-point Likert scale: None, Mild, Moderate, and Severe. |
Good validity, good test-retest (intra-class correlation = 0.9), and internal reliability (Cronbach α = 0.9) in older patients with idiopathic PD.56 (Note: average age of patients with positive response on PsycHQ 70.5 ± 8.5 yrs). Scores on Section I (core hallucinatory and psychotic symptoms) uncorrelated with age, disease duration, motor severity, or daily Levodopa equivalent dose. |
Brief, typically < 10 mins. Developed in consultation with patients, caregivers, and clinicians and uses layman language. Questionnaire available from the authors upon request. Probes a broad spectrum of visual and nonvisual hallucinatory phenomena. Can help pick up PD hallucinations that may otherwise go missed by clinicians. Utility for assessing hallucinations in other disorders unclear. |
Current Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences-15 (Current CAPE-15).58 |
15-item version of the CAPE-42 measures positive "psychotic-like" experiences that have occurred in the last 3 months. Contains 3 subscales measuring persecutory ideation, bizarre experiences, and perceptual abnormalities, including ratings of distress. |
Good validity and internal reliability in younger adults (Cronbach's α = .79)58 Psychometric properties in older adults not evaluated. |
Provides information about recent hallucinatory and psychotic-like experiences. Shortened version of the original 42-item CAPE questionnaire. Questionnaire freely available.58 |
Multi-Modality Unusual Sensory Experiences Questionnaire (MUSEQ).59 |
43-items assess unusual sensory experiences in 6 modalities: auditory, visual, olfactory, gustatory, bodily sensations, and sensed presence. Items rated on a 5-point Likert scale: 0 = Never, 1 = Hardly Ever, 2 = Rarely, 3 = Occasionally, and 4 = Frequently. |
Acceptable test-retest reliability (r = .56– 0.77) and good internal reliability (Cronbach α = .77–88), and good construct and discriminant validity in nonclinical (mean = 27.75 and range 17–76 yrs) and clinical groups, including schizophrenia spectrum disorder and bipolar disorder (mean = 34.17 and range 18–67 yrs.). Psychometric properties in older adults not evaluated. |
Provides information about sensory experiences in a number of modalities. Items designed to assess unusual sensory experiences according to a continuum structure (ie, most frequent to least frequent phenomena). Open access.59 Quite long. |
Clinician Administered |
Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales (PSYRATS).60 |
Structured interview for auditory hallucinations (and delusions) in patients with psychotic disorders. Symptoms in the last week are rated: 0 = no problem, 1 = minimal or occasional, 2 = minor to moderate, 3 = major, and 4 = maximum severity. Auditory hallucinations are also evaluated on frequency, duration, location, loudness, beliefs regarding origin of voices, negativity, distress, disruption, and controllability. |
Good inter-rater and test-retest reliability, and good validity. Factor analysis shows a 4-factor solution measuring Distress, Frequency, Attribution, and Loudness.61 |
Provides a comprehensive, multidimensional assessment of auditory hallucinations. German, French, Indonesian, Malay, Portuguese, and Chinese translations available. |
Auditory Hallucinations Rating Scale (AHRS).62,63 |
Brief (7-items), structured clinical interview that measures the frequency, reality, loudness, number of voices, length, attentional salience, and distress of auditory hallucinations. |
Adequate inter-rater and test-retest reliability and moderate internal consistency (Cronbach's α = .60).62 Psychometric properties in older adults not explored. |
Provides a shorter alternative to the PSYRATS. Not widely used. |
North East Visual Hallucinations Inventory (NEVHI).64 |
Semi-structured interview designed to assess hallucinations in older adults with eye disease and cognitive impairment. Qualitative items rated on a 3-point Likert scale: 0 = never, 1 = sometimes, and 2 = always. |
Good validity and good inter-rater and internal reliability (Cronbach α = .71).65 Good convergent and divergent validity in older adults with PD (mean age 68.9 ± 7.6 yrs).66 |
Includes brief screening questions. Examines both simple and complex visual hallucinations. Explores social, emotional, and behavioral impact of hallucinations. |
Assessment of Phantosmia.67 |
Single-item measure ("Have you in the last year experienced the so-called phantom smells?") scored 0 = "Never" to 4 = "Always." When present, fixed follow-up questions enquire about the type, intensity, duration, frequency, recency, and chronology of the experience. |
Psychometric properties not formally assessed. However, phantosmia was not correlated with olfactory dysfunction, supporting the discriminant validity of objective and subjective olfactory measures. Prevalence of phantosmia reported to be uncorrelated with age in healthy individuals (60–90 yrs). |
Brief administration time. Captures qualitative features of phantom smells. Some people may not fully understand the meaning of Phantosmia. Responses may be subject to bias. |
Assessment of Phantosmia.68 |
Standardized assessment with a single, negatively valenced item "Do you sometimes smell an unpleasant, bad, or burning odor when nothing is there? " Responses coded: Yes/No. |
Psychometric properties not reported. For adults 40 yrs and above, an age-related decline in unpleasant, bad, or burning phantosmia observed for women but not men. |
Assessment limited to olfactory modality. Positive or neutral phantom smells are not assessed. No information on intensity, duration, or periodicity. |
Questionnaire for Psychotic Experiences (QPE).69 |
50-item QPE designed to assess the presence, severity, and phenomenology of hallucinations (and delusions) across diagnostic groups. |
Good validity and good test-retest reliability, inter-rater reliability, and internal consistency in patients with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder and nonclinical participants (mean age: 40.3, 43.4, 32.1, 30.2, and 28.6 yrs, respectively). Psychometric properties in older adults/other diagnoses currently under examination. |
Designed for use across a range of disorders. Available from: http://www.qpeinterview.com/en Quite long: 20–40mins administration time (but high completion rate, see reference69). Requires training No specific comparisons of QPE between older and younger adults. |