Validation of the Czech version of the community assessment of psychic experiences (CAPE)

Introduction In the Czech Republic, research of the schizophrenia spectrum suffers from a lack of standardized measuring instruments. The community assessment of psychic experiences (CAPE) has been used internationally to quantify positive, negative and affective symptoms associated with the spectrum and to screen individuals who may be in risk of developing a spectrum disorder. Aims and objectives This study aimed to develop a Czech version of the CAPE and to examine its psychometric properties in a nonclinical population. Methods An author with an expertise in the field and a subject-naive author translated the CAPE into the Czech language. After a professional back-translation, the instrumentu0027s most suitable version was agreed upon. Lie-scale items were added to allow for an online circulation. The CAPE was administered to a large sample of participants alongside the Beck depression inventory (BDI-II). Results Internal consistency was assessed using the Cronbachu0027s alpha. Internal structure was evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis and compared to the structure of the original. Criterion validity was examined through correlation analyses of the BDI-II scores and the total and subtotal CAPE scores. Conclusions It is determined whether the Czech version of the CAPE has sufficient reliability and validity to be recommended for research purposes. It is expected that further study of the CAPE as well as the introduction of additional tools will motivate the standardization of research, diagnosis and prevention of schizophrenia spectrum disorders in the Czech Republic.