Is the Internet-administered CIDI-SF equivalent to a human SCID-interview?

The procedural validity of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview - short form (CIDI-SF) administered via an Internet web-page was examined and compared with an in-person interview (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders, research version; SCID) for seven DSM-IV mental disorders: major depression, generalized anxiety, specific phobia, social phobia, agoraphobia, panic attack, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The 53 participants completed a computerized interview (CIDI-SF) via a web page two days before the scheduled in-person interview (SCID). The agreement between CIDI-SF and SCID was generally low (Cohens Kappa <.40). However, the agoraphobia and obsessive-compulsive disorder modules had good specificity and sensitivity respectively. The CIDI-SF is not equivalent to a human SCID-interview, but can be used to screen for agoraphobia and obsessive-compulsive disorder.