Psychometric Properties of the Patient Health Questionnaire–15 (PHQ–15) for Measuring the Somatic Symptoms of Psychiatric Outpatients

BackgroundAbout 2% to 5% of all primary-care patients have a somatization disorder, and somatic symptoms are strongly associated with comorbid depression and anxiety disorders.ObjectiveThe authors evaluated the validity of the 15-item Somatization module of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ–15) among psychiatric outpatients.MethodThe PHQ–15 was administered to patients with somatic complaints; it was compared with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the General Health Questionnaire–12 (GHQ–12). Fifty-seven Korean subjects completed the survey.ResultsThe PHQ–15 exhibited significant internal consistency, and test–retest reliability. Convergent validity with the BDI and GHQ–12 were positive.ConclusionThese results indicate that the Korean version of the PHQ–15 is appropriate for measuring the severity of somatic symptoms in a psychiatric outpatient setting.