Rating scales validated for Sri Lankan populations: an update

Abstract

Rating scales are widely used in psychiatric practice to screen, diagnose, monitor symptoms, and for research purposes. Most scales utilized in psychiatry have been formulated in the West. Many rating scales are limited with regards to local use, as they have not been culturally adapted and validated to the Sri Lankan setting. We searched all relevant publications in journals indexed in PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar and dissertations in the Registry of Post Graduate Institute of Medicine, University of Colombo to identify relevant articles containing details on validation and adaption of rating scales for the Sri Lankan setting. We identified 31 scales validated for use in Sri Lanka.

Keywords

• validation, adaption, rating scales, sinhala, tamil