TY - JOUR

T1 - Adaption and validation of the Rwandese version of the Mood Disorder Questionnaire for the screening of bipolar disorder

AU - Musoni-Rwililiza, E.

AU - Arnbjerg, C. J.

AU - Rurangwa, N. U.

AU - Carlsson, J.

AU - Kallestrup, P.

AU - Vindbjerg, E.

AU - Gishoma, D.

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2024 The Authors

PY - 2024

Y1 - 2024

N2 - Background: Bipolar disorder is challenging to diagnose. In Rwanda, a sub-Saharan country with a limited number of psychiatrists, the number of people with an undetected diagnosis of bipolar disorder could be high. Still, no screening tool for the disorder is available in the country. This study aimed to adapt and validate the Mood Disorder Questionnaire in the Rwandan population. Methods: The Mood Disorder Questionnaire was translated into Kinyarwanda. The process involved back-translation, cross-cultural adaptation, field testing of the pre-final version, and final adjustments. A total of 331 patients with either bipolar disorder or unipolar major depression from two psychiatric outpatient hospitals were included. The statistical analysis included reliability and validity analyses and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis. The optimal cut-off was chosen by maximizing Younden's index. Results: The Rwandese version of The Mood Disorder Questionnaire had adequate internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha =0.91). The optimal threshold value was at least six positive items, which yielded excellent sensitivity (94.7%), and specificity (97.3%). The ROC area under the curve (AUC) was 0.99. Conclusion: The adapted tool showed good psychometric properties in terms of reliability and validity for the screening of bipolar disorder, with a recommended cutoff value of six items on the symptom checklist for a positive score and an exclusion of items 14 and 15. The tool has the potential to be a crucial instrument to identify otherwise undetected cases of bipolar disorder in Rwanda, improving access to mental health treatment, thus enhancing the living conditions of people with bipolar disorder.

AB - Background: Bipolar disorder is challenging to diagnose. In Rwanda, a sub-Saharan country with a limited number of psychiatrists, the number of people with an undetected diagnosis of bipolar disorder could be high. Still, no screening tool for the disorder is available in the country. This study aimed to adapt and validate the Mood Disorder Questionnaire in the Rwandan population. Methods: The Mood Disorder Questionnaire was translated into Kinyarwanda. The process involved back-translation, cross-cultural adaptation, field testing of the pre-final version, and final adjustments. A total of 331 patients with either bipolar disorder or unipolar major depression from two psychiatric outpatient hospitals were included. The statistical analysis included reliability and validity analyses and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis. The optimal cut-off was chosen by maximizing Younden's index. Results: The Rwandese version of The Mood Disorder Questionnaire had adequate internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha =0.91). The optimal threshold value was at least six positive items, which yielded excellent sensitivity (94.7%), and specificity (97.3%). The ROC area under the curve (AUC) was 0.99. Conclusion: The adapted tool showed good psychometric properties in terms of reliability and validity for the screening of bipolar disorder, with a recommended cutoff value of six items on the symptom checklist for a positive score and an exclusion of items 14 and 15. The tool has the potential to be a crucial instrument to identify otherwise undetected cases of bipolar disorder in Rwanda, improving access to mental health treatment, thus enhancing the living conditions of people with bipolar disorder.

KW - Bipolar disorder

KW - Cross-culturally adaptation

KW - Hypomania/mania

KW - Low resources settings

KW - Mood Disorder Questionnaire

KW - Validation

U2 - 10.1016/j.comppsych.2024.152477

DO - 10.1016/j.comppsych.2024.152477

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 38583298

AN - SCOPUS:85189677720

VL - 132

JO - Comprehensive Psychiatry

JF - Comprehensive Psychiatry

SN - 0010-440X

M1 - 152477

ER -