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Pharmacopsychiatry 2006; 39(3): 81-84
DOI: 10.1055/s-2006-941480
Original Paper
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Performance of the Italian Version of the Subjective Well-being under Neuroleptic (SWN) Scale in Schizophrenic Outpatients

M. Balestrieri1 , G. Giaroli2 , M. Mazzi2 , C. Bellantuono2
  • 1Centro InterUniversitario di Neuroscienze Comportamentali, Dipartimento di Patologia e Medicina Sperimentale e Clinica, University of Udine
  • 2Sezione di Psichiatria e Psicologia Clinica, Dipartimento di Medicina e Sanità Pubblica, University of Verona
Further Information

Publication History

Received: 13.6.2005 Revised: 15.10.2005

Accepted: 1.11.2005

Publication Date:
23 May 2006 (online)

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Background: Several studies indicate that subjective experience toward antipsychotic drugs (APs) in schizophrenic patients is a key factor in ensuring a smooth recovery from the illness. Objective: The principal aim of this study was to establish the psychometric performance of the Subjective Well-being Under Neuroleptic (SWN) scale in its Italian version and to assess, through the SWN scale, the subjective experience of stabilized psychotic outpatients in maintenance with APs. Methods: The original short version of SWN, consisting of 20 items, was back translated, and a focus group was also conducted to better improve the comprehension of the scale. Results: The results showed a good performance of the Italian version of the SWN as documented by the internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha; 0.85). A satisfactory subjective experience was reported in the sample of schizophrenic outpatients interviewed (SWN mean total score: 84.95, SD: 17.5). Conclusions: The performance of the SWN scale in the present study was very similar to that reported by Naber et al. [18] in the original validation study. Large multi-center studies are needed to better establish differences in the subjective experience of schizophrenic patients treated with first- and second-generation APs.

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Prof. Cesario Bellantuono

Sezione di Psichiatria e Psicologia Clinica

Dipartimento di Medicina e Sanità Pubblica

Università di Verona

Policlinico ”G. Rossi”

Piazza ”L. Scuro”

37134 - VERONA

Italy

Phone: +39.045.8074.442

Fax: +39.3387004577

Email: cesario.bellantuono@univr.it