[Spatiotemporal psychopathology-German version of the Scale for Space and Time Experience in Psychosis (STEP) : A validated measurement instrument for the assessment of spatial and temporal experience in psychotic disorders].
Dusan Hirjak, Jonas Daub, Geva A Brandt, Maria Krayem, Katharina M Kubera, Georg Northoff
Der Nervenarzt September 1, 2023 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1007/s00115-023-01519-y via PubMed
Summary
Patients with schizophrenia often experience fragmented time and distorted space, such as altered interpersonal distance and orientation, which can worsen detachment from reality and complicate therapy. Despite this, these experiences are understudied due to a lack of standardized tools. Based on spatiotemporal psychopathology (STPP), the German version of the Scale for Space and Time Experience in Psychosis (STEP) was developed, measuring 14 spatial and 11 temporal phenomena across 25 items. The scale shows high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.94) and significant correlation with the PANSS (p < 0.001), offering a key assessment instrument for German-speaking countries.
Study at a glance
| Design | instrument development and validation |
|---|---|
| Key finding | The German version of the STEP scale demonstrates high internal consistency and significant correlation with the PANSS, providing a standardized assessment of spatial and temporal experience in patients with psychotic disorders. |
Abstract
Historical authors (e.g., Ludwig Binswanger and Eugène Minkowski) postulated that the experience of patients with schizophrenia is characterized by time fragmentation. From a clinical perspective, patients with schizophrenia also suffer from difficulties in spatial perception (e.g., abnormalities in the experience of interpersonal distance and spatial orientation). Although these changes can lead to a serious detachment from reality, to considerable suffering of the affected persons and to difficulties in the therapeutic process, the abnormal experience of space and time in psychotic disorders has not yet been sufficiently investigated. One possible reason is the lack of appropriate and standardized instruments that quantify the experience of space and time in patients with psychotic disorders. Based on an innovative concept, the so-called spatiotemporal psychopathology (STPP), a clinical rating scale for the systematic-quantitative assessment of spatial and temporal experience in patients with psychotic disorders was developed. This article presents the German version of the Scale for Space and Time Experience in Psychosis (STEP). The original English version of the STEP measures different spatial (14 phenomena) and temporal (11 phenomena) phenomena in 25 items. The STEP shows both a high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.94) and a significant correlation with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS; p < 0.001). In summary, the German version of the STEP scale presented here represents an important instrument in the German-speaking countries for the assessment of spatial and temporal experience in patients with psychotic disorders.