Assessment of agitation in Alzheimer's disease: The agitated behavior in dementia scale

OBJECTIVES: To develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of a new me asure of agitation, the Agitated Behavior in Dementia scale (ABID). The ABI D consists of 16 items designed specifically to evaluate frequency of and c aregiver reaction to common agitated behaviors in community-residing dement ia patients. DESIGN: The ABID was administered at the baseline assessment of a multi-sit e controlled treatment study to reduce agitation in Alzheimer's Disease (AD ). Reliability was assessed by evaluating internal consistency and test-ret est correlations. Validity was assessed by examining correlations with othe r constructs, including demographics, cognitive status, and overall behavio ral disturbance. SETTING: Twenty-one sites across the US, comprising the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study, contributed subjects to the investigation. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 148 community-residing AD patients, living with a spouse or adult relative who acted as an informant. Mean age was 75 years, and mean Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) score was 13. MEASUREMENTS: Cognitive status was assessed using the MMSE. Behavioral dist urbance was assessed using the Behavior Rating Scale for Dementia of the Co nsortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease, the Revised Memor y and Behavior Problems Checklist, and the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Invent ory. RESULTS: Reliability of the ABID was excellent, with internal consistency o f 0.70 and test-retest reliability of 0.60 to 0.73. Validity was confirmed by correlations with related measures and lack of correlation with unrelate d constructs. CONCLUSIONS:The ABID is brief, easy to administer, and provides objectively anchored observations of problems, It is a promising measure for studies o f community-residing AD patients.