Validation of the Italian version of the Functioning Assessment Short Test (FAST) for bipolar disorder

Abstract

Aim. The Functioning Assessment Short Test (FAST) is a useful instrument for the assessment of overall functioning of people with bipolar disorder, showing good psychometric properties. The aim of this study is to validate the Italian version of FAST. Methods. Translation and back-translation of the original FAST Spanish version were performed. Participants with bipolar disorder (n = 132) and healthy controls (n = 132) completed the FAST as a part of an assessment package including the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale and the Young Mania Rating Scale. Internal consistency, inter-rater reliability, construct and discriminant validity were assessed. Results. The FAST Italian version showed good internal consistency, inter-rater reliability and discriminant validity. The cut-off discriminating patients from controls was 15, with a sensitivity of 0.79 and a specificity of 0.80. Principal component analysis with oblique rotation showed factor loadings consistent with the a priori structure of the instrument. Conclusions. This study confirmed the psychometric properties of FAST and extended its generalization and validity to the Italian population.

Validity and reliability of the Finnish version of the Functioning Assessment Short Test (FAST) in bipolar disorder

“…In addition to Spanish and English, the FAST has been translated into Italian (Moro et al 2012 , Barbato et al 2013 ), Portuguese (Cacilhas et al 2009 ), and Turkish (Aydemir and Uykur 2012 ) and now also Finnish. The psychometric properties of the Finnish version of FAST showed high internal consistency, in accord with earlier studies.…”

“…We did not have healthy controls to analyse the scale’s capacity to discriminate between patients and controls. However, previous studies have examined this and have reported the optimal cutoff on the FAST total score for discriminating patients from controls to be 11 (Rosa et al 2007 , Moro et al 2012 ) or 15 (Barbato et al 2013 ). The sample size of the study was also modest.…”

“…A more detailed description of the instrument is presented in the original paper (Rosa et al 2007 ). FAST has been translated into English (Vieta 2010 ), Italian (Moro et al 2012 , Barbato et al 2013 ), Portuguese (Cacilhas et al 2009 ), and Turkish (Aydemir and Uykur 2012 ). FAST was translated into Finnish and then back-translated into English and approved by the researchers of the Bipolar Disorder Program, Barcelona (Rosa et al, 2007 ), who developed the scale.…”

“…The Functioning Assessment Short Test (FAST) (Rosa et al 2007 ) was developed for the clinical evaluation of functional impairment of patients suffering from mental disorders, particularly bipolar disorder. The psychometric properties of FAST in terms of reliability and validity have been found to be good in bipolar disorder (Rosa et al 2007 , Cacilhas et al 2009 , Aydemir and Uykur 2012 , Moro et al 2012 , Barbato et al 2013 ). FAST has good psychometric properties also in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (Rotger et al 2014 ) and in the first psychotic episodes (González-Ortega et al 2010 ).…”

Intervenção combinada de terapia cognitivo comportamental e reabilitação neuropsicológica em grupo para portadores de transtorno do humor bipolar

“…A FAST é uma entrevista estruturada e breve que aborda seis domínios de forma independente: autonomia, funcionamento ocupacional, funcionamento cognitivo, relacionamento interpessoal e tempo livre. A escala foi validada para diversas populações (Suominen et al 2015, Barbato et al 2013) incluindo a brasileira (Cacilhas et al 2009). Os escores da FAST já foram correlacionados com os mais variados desfechos, desde estigma (Vázquez et al 2011), impulsividade (Jiménez et al 2012) e abuso de substâncias .…”