crisis interviewAn interview conducted for
the purposes of (a) defusing or problem
solving through the crisis at hand and
(b) encouraging the individual to enter into a
therapeutic relationship at the agency or
elsewhere so that a longer-term solution can
be worked out.
criterion-related validityThe extent to which
interview scores predict (correlate with) scores on
other relevant measures.
diagnostic interviewAn interview conducted
for the purpose of arriving at aDSM-IVdiagnostic
formulation.
discriminant validityThe extent to which
interview scores do not correlate with measures
that are not theoretically related to the construct
being measured.
intake-admission interviewAn interview con-
ducted for the purposes of (a) determining why the
patient has come to an agency (e.g., clinic,
hospital), (b) determining whether the agency can
meet the patient’s needs and expectations, and
(c) informing the patient about the agency’s
policies and procedures.
interrater reliabilityThe level of agreement
between at least two raters who have evaluated the
same patient independently. Agreement can refer
to consensus on symptoms assigned, diagnoses
assigned, and so on.
kappa coefficientA statistical index of interrater
reliability computed to determine how reliably
raters judge the presence or absence of a feature or
diagnosis.
mental status examination interviewAn
interview conducted to evaluate the patient for the
presence of cognitive, emotional, or behavioral
problems.IntheMSEinterview,theclinician
assesses the patient in a number of areas, including
(but not limited to) general presentation, quality of
speech, thought content, memory, and judgment.
predictive validityA form of criterion-related
validity. The extent to which interview scores
correlate with scores on other relevant measures
administered at some point in the future.
rapportA word often used to characterize the
relationship between patient and clinician. In the
context of the clinical interview, building good
rapport involves establishing a comfortable atmo-
sphere and sharing an understanding of the
purpose of the interview.
referral questionThe question posed about the
patient by the referral source (e.g., Why is a
particular child earning poor grades?).
structured diagnostic interviewA diagnostic
interview that consists of a standard set of questions
asked in a specified sequence. The questions may
be keyed to the diagnostic criteria for a number of
disorders.
test–retest reliabilityThe consistency of inter-
view scores over time. Generally, we expect
individuals to receive similar diagnoses from one
administration to the next if the interval between
administrations is short.
unstructured interviewAn interview in which
the clinician asks any questions that come to mind
in any order.190 CHAPTER 6