The psychopathology inventory for mentally retarded adults: factor structure and comparisons between subjects with or without dual diagnosis.
PIMRA factor scores validly distinguish anxiety and depression in adults with intellectual disability.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Dawson et al. (2000) ran a factor analysis on the PIMRA. The PIMRA is a checklist that asks caregivers about anxiety, depression, and other mental-health signs in adults with intellectual disability.
They wanted to know if the test really sorts people into clean mood categories. They also compared scores from adults who already had a mental-health diagnosis with scores from those who did not.
What they found
The factors lined up with the original PIMRA scales. Anxiety items hung together. Depression items hung together.
Adults with a dual diagnosis scored higher on the anxiety and depression factors than adults without. This shows the tool can spot clinical-level mood problems.
How this fits with other research
Vassos et al. (2023) later looked at nine mood tools for adults with ID. Only four passed basic reliability and validity checks. PIMRA was included in their review, but they warned that evidence is still thin. Use it, but keep collecting data.
Glenn et al. (2003) used simpler self-report mood scales and also found anxiety and depression rising together. Their work extends G et al. by showing you can ask adults with mild-moderate ID directly, not just caregivers.
Lindsay et al. (2004) did the same factor work with adolescents and the IDMS. Results were positive, showing the validation recipe works across age groups.
Why it matters
You now have a quick, caregiver-friendly tool that flags internalizing problems in adults with ID. Pair PIMRA scores with direct observation and brief functional checks. If anxiety or depression factors are high, move to fuller assessment and consider referral. Track scores over time to see if your intervention is really easing mood, not just behavior.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Whether the Psychopathology Inventory for Mentally Retarded Adults (PIMRA) could detect specific psychopathological disorders was investigated in 652 subjects with different levels of mental retardation living in the community or in residential facilities. An exploratory factor analysis was carried out to check the scale organization of PIMRA. The Anxiety, Adjustment Disorder, Somatoform Disorder, and Soundness Scales were confirmed by 4 corresponding factors; the Psychosexual Disorder Scale was replaced by a factor specific to gender identity problems, and the Schizophrenia Scale by two factors concerning isolation and bizarre behaviors, respectively. The items of the Depression Scale were distributed over the three factors concerning anxiety, adjustment, and psychosomatic disorders, while the items of the Personality Disorder Scale were scattered over almost all the factors. Moreover, 55 subjects with anxiety disorders and 49 with depression were compared to 50 control subjects of the same age, intelligence level, and gender ratio but without dual diagnosis and obtained significantly higher factorial scores both on the overall scale and on the factors specifically related to their disorders. PIMRA has been found to show good construct validity. These results could be considered particularly valid as they were obtained from a large sample comprising different levels of mental retardation and thus showing all possible psychopathological behaviors.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2000 · doi:10.1016/s0891-4222(00)00044-5