Reliability of the Columbia Impairment Scale (C.I.S.) for adolescents: Survey among an Italian sample in Lazio Region

Objective: The objective of this pilot study was to evaluate the reliability and internal consistency of the The Columbia Impairment Scale questionnaire, as a tool to provide a global measure of impairment functioning in an Italian adolescents sample. Methods: The questionnaire is composed by 4 sections of functioning (interpersonal relations, broad psychopathological domains, functioning in schoolwork, use of leisure time) for a total of 13 items. It was administered twice in a sample of adolescents of a Professional School in Frosinone (Central Italy). Reliability analysis was performed and Cronbach’s alpha was used as a measure of internal consistency. The intra-class correlation (ICC) coefficients were calculated. The statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 19.0. Results: The questionnaire was administered to 120 adolescents the first time and to 108 in a following moment. Considering all 13 items, Cronbach’s alpha amounted to 0.762 on the first time and to 0.826 on the second time, showing a very satisfactory internal validity. The ICCs were 0.550 for the first section (items 1-4), 0.420 (95% CI 0.201-0.594) for the second section, 0.627 (95% CI 0.345-0.672) for the third section (items 8-10), and 0.5253 (95% CI 0.123-0.778) for the fourth section (items 11-13). In the sample selected, the answers to the questionnaire showed adolescents have a low impairment functioning. Conclusion: The results of the pilot study indicate that the questionnaire shows a good reliability property and in terms of internal consistency and validity presents a good performance. The results are promising and suggest that this tool could be used in the Italian setting for future research targeted to adequately capture the impaired functioning in adolescents.