Reliability and Validity of the Comprehensive Assessment of the at Risk Mental State, Italian Version (CAARMS-I)

The Comprehensive Assessment of the At Risk Mental State (CAARMS) is a semi-structured interview designed to assess attenuated psychotic symptoms in people at ultra high risk of developing psychosis (UHR). It is widely used worldwide but no studies have ever assessed its psychometric properties in the Italian population. Here we tested the reliability and validity of the Italian version of the CAARMS (CAARMS-I). Psychometric properties (inter-rater reliability, internal coherence, construct validity, concurrent validity and predictive validity) were assessed in an Italian sample of ARMS subjects, first-episode subjects and matched controls. We found that the CAARMS-I demonstrates adequate validity and reliability and appears to be helpful in the diagnosis of the ARMS and prediction of psychosis transition.