The reliability and validity of the Norwegian version of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory, nursing home version (NPI-NH).
BACKGROUND
Psychiatric symptoms and behavioral disturbances are highly prevalent in the residents of nursing homes. The Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) is a commonly used scale for the assessment of such symptoms in diverse settings. We have conducted a study of the reliability and the validity of the Norwegian version of the NPI nursing home version (NPI-NH).


METHODS
The reliability study comprised 41 patients. We established inter-rater reliability between raters with various levels of health education using kappa statistics. Fifty patients were included in the validity study. The patients were examined by a physician, who also rated the patient's behavior using "behavioral pathology in Alzheimer's disease" (BEHAVE-AD). Subsequently, a research nurse performed a standardized interview using the NPI and the Cornell scale. Concurrent validity of the NPI and the BEHAVE-AD was analyzed.


RESULTS
Internal consistency, as measured by Cronbach's alpha was above 0.8. Inter-rater reliability was, except for one item, between 0.85 and 1.0 across assessors with different levels of health education. All correlations between the NPI and the BEHAVE-AD were significant, ranging from 0.38 to 0.72. The weakest correlations were between items assessing affective and anxiety symptoms.


CONCLUSIONS
The Norwegian version of the NPI-NH is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing psychiatric symptoms and behavioral disturbances in the residents of nursing homes. The investigation of depressive symptoms merits particular attention.
Selbaek
Geir
G
Research Centre for Old Age psychiatric Research, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Ottestad, Norway. geir.selbaek@aldringoghelse.no
Kirkevold
Oyvind
O
Sommer
Oskar H
OH
Engedal
Knut
K
D000368:Aged; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009664:Norway; D009735:Nursing Homes; D011595:Psychomotor Agitation / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires