[The Neuropsychiatric Inventory. Psychometric properties of its adaptation into Spanish].
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of the Spanish (Spain) version of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory.


METHODS
The Neuropsychiatric Inventory was administered to the caregivers of 63 subjects from the Dementia Unit, Hospital Santa Caterina, Girona. All patients had detailed neuropsychological assessment, and their non-cognitive symptoms were also examined with the CAMDEX.


RESULTS
There was a high level of internal consistency reliability. The Neuropsychiatric Inventory subscores correlated with those of the CAMDEX, indicating an acceptable level of validity. The most frequent symptom was apathy (56%), followed by irritability (38%), depression/dysphoria (35%), aberrant motor behavior (30%), agitation/aggression (29%), anxiety (27%), disinhibition (24%), delusions (19%), hallucinations (14%) and euphoria (3%).


CONCLUSIONS
This study showed that the Spanish version of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory is a reliable instrument, which can briefly assess non-cognitive symptoms in demented patients. The Neuropsychiatric Inventory is a useful instrument for research and clinical practice in different culture around the world.
Vilalta-Franch
J
J
Unidad de Demencias, Hospital Santa Caterina, Institut d'Assistència Sanitària, Girona, España. jvilaltaf@intersep.org
Lozano-Gallego
M
M
Hernández-Ferrándiz
M
M
Llinàs-Reglà
J
J
López-Pousa
S
S
López
O L
OL
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001519:Behavior; D017028:Caregivers; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D003704:Dementia / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D015588:Observer Variation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013030:Spain