Table 1.

Comparison of Content in Various Negative Symptom Scales

SANS Items	SANS	PANSS	BPRS	KMS	SDS	EBS	NSS Lewine	NSS P,G, andH
Affective flattening	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Unchanging expression	X	X	X	X	X	X	P	X
Decreased movements	X	X	X	P	P	P	P	X
Paucity of gestures	X	X	X	P	P	P	P	X
Poor eye contact	X	X	—	P	P	P	P	X
Affective nonresponsivity	X	X	X	X	X	X	P	X
Inappropriate affect	X	—	—	X	—	X	X	—
Lack of vocal inflection	X	X	X	X	P	X	—	X
Alogia	X	P	—	X	X	P	—	—
Poverty of speech	X	X	—	X	X	X	—	X
Poverty of content	X	P	—	P	X	—	X	X
Blocking	X	—	P	P	—	—	—	P
Increased latency response	X	—	—	P	—	—	P	X
Avolition/apathy	X	P	—	—	—	—	—	P
Poor grooming/hygiene	X	X	—	—	—	X	—	—
Impersistance at work/school	X	—	—	—	—	—	P	—
Physical anergia	X	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Anhedonia/asociality	X	P	P	—	X	—	P	—
Few recreational activities	X	P	—	—	P	—	P	—
Decreased sexual interest	X	—	—	—	P	—	X	—
Decreased capacity for closeness	X	P	—	—	P	P	—	—
Few friends/prefers isolation	X	X	X	—	P	P	—	—
Attentional impairment	X	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Social inattentiveness	X	P	—	—	—	—	—	—
Inattentiveness on mental status examination	X	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Other items
Emotional withdrawal	P	X	X	—	—	X	—	P
Poor rapport	P	X	—	—	—	X	—	P
Poor abstract thinking	—	X	—	—	—	—	—	—
Stereotyped thinking	X	X	—	—	—	—	—	—
Psychomotor retardation	P	—	X	X	—	—	X	X
Lack of sense of purpose	P	P	—	—	X	X	—	—
Fatigue	—	—	—	—	—	—	X	—
Slowed speech	—	—	X	—	—	—	X	X
Depressed appearance	—	—	—	—	—	—	X	—
Loose associations/incoherence	—	—	X	—	—	—	X	—
Low voice	—	—	P	—	—	—	—	X

Note: Adapted from Fenton and McGlashan (1992)² and Earnst and Kring (1997)²⁸; SANS, Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms; PANSS, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale; BPRS, Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale; KMS, Krawiecka-Manchester Scale; SDS, Schedule for the Deficit Syndrome; EBS, Emotional Blunting Scale; NSS Lewine, Negative Symptom Scale of Lewine (1983); NSS P, G, and H, Negative Symptom Scale of Pogue-Geile and Harrow (1983); X—substantial overlap; P—partial overlap.