Kralj, ŽanaDedić, MilenkaKovačević, AnđelaMalički, MarioDedić, JelenaPelivan, MarinaVuković, DubravkaFisher, CarrieKember, Rachel L.Nurnberger, JohnBućan, MajaBritvić, Dolores2018-07-192018-07-192017-02Kralj, Ž., Dedić, M., Kovačević, A., Malički, M., Dedić, J., Pelivan, M., … Britvić, D. (2017). Diagnostic Interview for Genetic Studies: Validity and Reliability of the Croatian Version. Psychiatric Genetics, 27(1), 17–22. http://doi.org/10.1097/YPG.0000000000000154https://hdl.handle.net/1805/16728OBJECTIVE: To test the validity and reliability of the Diagnostic Interview for Genetic Studies (DIGS) in patients with mental illness in Croatia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Following translation, back-translation, and pilot testing, the Croatian version of DIGS (CRO-DIGS) was administered to a total of 150 inpatients and outpatients diagnosed at the Clinical Hospital in Split with bipolar and major depressive disorder (n=56), schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder (n=62), and alcohol dependence or use disorders (n=32). Initial testing was performed independently by one interviewer and one observer blinded to the diagnosis, and a retest was performed after 8 weeks by a third examiner. RESULTS: The validity of CRO-DIGS was high (κ=0.916), with an excellent inter-rater (κ=0.824) reliability, especially for bipolar disorder (κ=0.956). Following an 8 week test-retest interval, the reliability for all diagnoses was found to be excellent (κ=0.843). CONCLUSION: Our study has shown excellent validity and reliability of the Croatian version of DIGS, making it a promising instrument to assess mental illness of patients. The development of a valid and reliable diagnostic tool such as the CRO-DIGS will considerably advance the scientific communities' ability to carry out genetic studies of psychiatric illness in the region.en-USPublisher PolicyDIGSMental illnessValidation and reliabilityCroatiaArticle