Development and validation of the Cognitive Inventory of subjective distress.
OBJECTIVE
This study was aimed at exploring some of the facets of psychological distress during aging, and at validating an inventory, the Cognitive Inventory of Subjective Distress (CISD) for assessing this kind of distress.


METHODS
An inventory of thoughts representing distress schemas was administered to 298 elderly subjects living at home or in a center.


RESULTS
Factor analyses suggested retaining 29 items. They explained 62% of the total variance and corresponded to seven distinct facets: abandonment, dependency, disengagement, fear of losing control, loss of individuality, refusal of help, and vulnerability. These dimensions turned out to be relatively independent of each other and moderately correlated with measures of depression and anxiety. The internal consistency and temporal reliability of the seven scales are good.


CONCLUSIONS
The CISD is an original tool for assessing psychological distress. It is geared to old and very old individuals living in a center for the elderly, and its design takes the fatiguability and cognitive heterogeneity of this population into account. This inventory can also be used for psychopathological assessment and can serve as a baseline for following patients over time or in the course of therapy.
University Lille North of France--UPRES URECA EA 1059--Family, Health and Emotion Group, Villeneuve d'Ascq, France. pascal.antoine@univ-lille3.fr
Pascal
P
Antoine
Christine
C
Antoine
Jean-Louis
JL
Nandrino
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011594:Psychometrics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires