Validation of the Brief Negative Symptom Scale in Korean patients with schizophrenia.

INTRODUCTION: The Brief Negative Symptom Scale (BNSS) was developed based on the current consensus on negative symptoms. We validated the Korean version of the BNSS (K-BNSS) and explored the factor structure of negative symptoms among 173 Koreans with schizophrenia. METHODS: Clinical interviews and neurocognitive assessments were administered to evaluate the factor structure, validity, and reliability of the K-BNSS. RESULTS: The five-factor model of the K-BNSS showed excellent reliability and validity. DISCUSSION: Our findings confirm that the K-BNSS is a promising instrument for assessing negative symptoms of schizophrenia, and that negative symptoms are best conceptualized in the form of five domains.