Persian Translation and Cultural Adaptation of Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview and its Psychometric Properties

The main objectives of this study were the translation, cultural adaptation, and assessment of the psychometric properties of the Persian version of Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI).

All processes of linguistic methodology were conducted according to the published guidelines. A total of 180 patients with psychiatric problems were interviewed using MINI and Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5(R) - Clinician Version (SCID-5-CV) by different interviewers. Another 30 patients were selected for examining the test-retest reliability. The study sample was recruited from a psychiatric hospital and a general hospital in Tehran, Iran. Face validity, feasibility, time of the interview, test-retest reliability, and concurrent validity were evaluated.

Mean interview time was 19.76±10.30 minutes, indicating satisfactory feasibility. The test-retest reliability was very good (phi=2, Cramer’s V=0.89, P<0.0001). The kappa values showed good or excellent agreement between MINI and SCID-5-CV for psychotic disorders (0.88), substance-related disorders (0.86), bipolar disorder (0.85), major depressive disorder (0.84), obsessive-compulsive disorder (0.74), and mental disorder due to other medical disorders (0.7). However, the kappa values were found to be lower for generalized anxiety disorder (0.44) and posttraumatic stress disorder (0.32) diagnoses.

The Persian version of MINI is a feasible, reliable, and valid instrument for diagnosing some mental disorders. Further research is needed to evaluate the validity of this instrument in other categories of psychiatric diagnoses in the general population.