Videotaped reliability in a multicenter collaborative investigation of divalproex sodium for the treatment of mania

This study describes the procedures used to establish videotaped inter‐rater reliability in a multicenter study investigating the clinical efficacy of divalproex sodium for the treatment of acute mania. A total of 46 raters from 10 centers viewed and rated five videotaped diagnostic patients interviews using a modified SADS and SADS‐C. Raters also viewed a follow‐up videotaped interview at the midpoint of the study. Raters rated the quality of each interview for its teaching potential. Agreement among raters within study sites was estimated by the intraclass correlation coefficient. Results demonstrated significant agreement among raters within study centers at baseline and follow‐up for both the SADS and SADS‐C.