Development and psychometric evaluation of the Interactive Test of Interpersonal Behavior (ITIB): a pilot study examining interpersonal deficits in chronic depression

Abstract

Chronic depression is assumed to be caused and maintained by interpersonal deficits. We describe the development and psychometric evaluation of the Interactive Test of Interpersonal Behavior (ITIB) that we developed for self-assessment of these deficits. Participants with chronic depression (CD, N = 15), episodic depression (ED, N = 15) and healthy controls (HC, N = 15) participated in this pilot study. They completed the ITIB and a number of pen and paper questionnaires including the Lübeck Questionnaire of Preoperational Thinking (LQPT) and the inventory of interpersonal problems (IIP). The ITIB was highly acceptable for use in these participants. Internal consistency for the ITIB was adequate for group comparisons (Cronbach's alpha = 0.649). Item-total correlations indicated adequate discriminatory power of five of the six items. The ITIB correlated moderately with the LQPT (r = 0.524) and the IIP (r = -0.568). The ITIB score differed significantly between the diagnostic groups (ANOVA F(2,42) = 6.22, p = 0.004). It was the only measure that - albeit at a trend level - was associated with diagnostic group (CD vs. ED) on multinomial logistic regression analysis (B = 0.049 ± 0.029; OR 1.051; p = 0.088). We found preliminary evidence that the ITIB is an acceptable and psychometrically adequate measure of interpersonal behavior that distinguishes between patients with CD and patients with ED. If replicated with an improved version of the test, our results could support the hypothesis that having interpersonal problems is a core deficit in patients with CD.

Preoperational Thinking as a Measure of Social Cognition Is Associated With Long-Term Course of Depressive Symptoms. A Longitudinal Study Involving Patients With Depression and Healthy Controls

“…The differences in level of preoperational thinking at baseline for the groups PD and ED are consistent with other studies (18,19). We did find a significant group difference, with the group PD showing higher levels of preoperational thinking than the other groups, whereas the group of ED showed significant higher levels of preoperational thinking in comparison to the group HC.…”

“…Our study aims to provide a more detailed view of social cognition by using a measure developed specifically for preoperational thinking and examining its association with the long-term course of depressive symptoms both in patients and healthy controls. Previous studies using this measure have shown higher levels of preoperational thinking in patients with PD compared to patients with ED or healthy controls ( 11 , 18 , 19 ). Preoperational thinking was also linked to childhood maltreatment with a mediating effect of interpersonal fears ( 11 ), as well as mediating the association of childhood maltreatment and a hostile interpersonal style ( 20 ).…”

Patients' interpersonal problems as moderators of depression outcomes in a randomized controlled trial comparing mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy and a group version of the cognitive‐behavioral analysis system of psychotherapy in chronic depression

“…Another shortcoming of the current study is that interpersonal problems were assessed only by one self‐report. The "interactive test of interpersonal behavior” (ITIB; Klein et al, 2016) or the “impact message inventory” (IMI; Kiesler & Schmidt, 2006), for example, could provide valuable complementary information. The ITIB is a self‐assessment instrument in which patients have to give answers to specific interpersonal dilemmas.…”

Psychometric evaluation of a screening question for persistent depressive disorder

“…Other studies also successfully employed this interview (e.g. [31, 32]). Participants were diagnosed with PDD when meeting DSM-5 criteria for a pure dysthymic syndrome, for a persistent major depressive episode, for persistent depressive disorder with intermittent major depressive episodes, with current episode as well as without current episode.…”