Assessment of Trichotillomania: A Psychometric Evaluation of Hair-Pulling Scales

Authors: Diefenbach, Gretchen¹; Tolin, David²; Crocetto, Johanna²; Maltby, Nicholas²; Hannan, Scott²

Source: Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, Volume 27, Number 3, September 2005 , pp. 169-178(10)

Publisher: Springer

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Abstract:

Currently there is no “gold standard” treatment outcome measure for trichotillomania (TTM), a disorder characterized by repetitive hair pulling resulting in noticeable hair loss. The goal of the current study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of TTM measures of differing assessment methods: self-report, clinician-rated summary scales, and clinician-rated global severity scales. Data collected from 28 patients with TTM indicated mixed psychometric properties for current scales. Internal consistency was strong for self-report but not clinician-rated summary scales. One clinician-rated summary scale total and subjective ratings of hair loss demonstrated good interrater agreement. Although convergent validity was good within measurement type, self-report did not correlate with clinician-rated global severity scales, perhaps because of absence of hair loss severity assessment on the self-report measure. A multimethod assessment including one of each type of measure reviewed in this paper, along with self-monitoring and measures of hair loss severity, is recommended for a comprehensive best practice approach to TTM assessment.

Keywords: trichotillomania; hair pulling; assessment; measurement

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10862-005-0633-7

Affiliations: 1: Anxiety Disorders Center, The Institute of Living, Hartford Hospital, Connecticut, Email: gdiefen@harthosp.org 2: Anxiety Disorders Center, The Institute of Living, Hartford Hospital, Connecticut,

Publication date: 2005-09-01