Open AccessDevelopment of an instrument to assess social functioning in dementia: The Social Functioning in Dementia scale (SF‐DEM)
Author(s) -
Sommerlad Andrew,
Singleton David,
Jones Rebecca,
Banerjee Sube,
Livingston Gill
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
alzheimer's and dementia: diagnosis, assessment and disease monitoring
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.497
H-Index - 37
ISSN - 2352-8729
DOI - 10.1016/j.dadm.2017.02.001
Subject(s) - dementia , psychology , concurrent validity , clinical psychology , psychometrics , scale (ratio) , rating scale , social functioning , internal consistency , gerontology , psychiatry , developmental psychology , medicine , disease , distress , physics , pathology , quantum mechanics
Social functioning is a core domain in the life of people with dementia, but there is no accepted instrument to measure it. We aimed to develop the Social Functioning in Dementia (SF‐DEM) scale and test its psychometric properties for assessing social function in people with dementia. Methods We interviewed people with mild dementia and family caregivers to develop patient and caregiver‐rated SF‐DEM versions and refined them through interviews with health care professionals. We tested its psychometric properties in 30 dyads of people with dementia and family caregivers. Results Both SF‐DEM versions had content validity and demonstrated concurrent validity against a single item rating overall social functioning (patient rated r = 0.42, 95% CI [0.07–0.68]; caregiver rated r = 0.59, 95% CI [0.29–0.78]). All participants found it acceptable. Analyses showed reliability (test–retest, inter‐rater, internal consistency) and indications of responsiveness to change. Discussion SF‐DEM shows promise as a valid, reliable, acceptable measure of social functioning in dementia.