title: The development and validation of a dementia behavior disturbance inventory.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To develop an instrument that measures observable problematic behaviors in patients with dementia.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used focus group interviews to identify the problematic behaviors of patients with dementia. Eighty-two behaviors grouped into 12 domains were generated from the data collected from five different focus groups. After conducting a content validation process, a 72-item Dementia Behavior Disturbance Inventory (DBDI) rated by a frequency and a disturbance scale was formed. The DBDI was administered to 200 institutionalized elderly patients with dementia by formal caregivers for psychometric evaluation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Inter-item correlation of items in each domain was performed for item reduction. Forty-eight items remained after this procedure. Exploratory factor analysis obtained nine factors that explained 59.2% and 59.6% of the total variance in the frequency and disturbance scales, respectively. Cronbach's alpha of the entire 48-item frequency and disturbance scales was 0.88 and 0.91, respectively. Most of the factors had acceptable internal consistency reliability. Test-re-test reliability coefficients of the frequency and disturbance scales were 0.78 and 0.64, respectively. The DBDI was weakly but positively related to functions of daily activities and ambulation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The DBDI demonstrates promising psychometrical properties as an instrument to assess problematic behaviors in elderly people with dementia.
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, National Yang Ming University, Taiwan, R.O.C.
authors.forename: Li-Yu
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Ping-Keung
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Yip
authors.forename: En-Chang
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Kai-Kuen
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Leung
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000523:psychology*; D017028:Caregivers; D003704:Dementia / Q000523:psychology*; D015140:Dementia, Vascular / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009679:Nuclear Family; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires