title: A psychometric evaluation of a negative mood scale in the MDS-HC using a large sample of community-dwelling Hong Kong Chinese older adults.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  negative mood is an important construct when assessing the health of older persons. The profile of mood states questionnaire is commonly used to measure mood; however, it might not be suitable for older adults with low education level and those who are not originated North American.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  to examine a negative mood scale formed by nine items in the Mood Section of the Minimum Data Set-Home Care of the Resident Assessment Instrument.
  
  
  METHODS
  a secondary analysis of data from 3,523 older persons aged 60 or over who had first applied for the long-term care services in Hong Kong and completed the screening tool in 2006. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to test the factor structure and multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis to test the gender invariance of the Negative Mood Scale in the Minimum Data Set-Home Care. Its reliability using Cronbach's alpha was examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  both a three-factor model at the first level and a one-factor model at the second level provided excellent fits to the overall data, and held equally well for both males and females, and two randomly split samples. Multiple-group confirmatory factor analyses revealed both genders demonstrating an equivalent pattern of factor loadings. Cronbach's alpha value was acceptable for the overall data (0.66).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  the Negative Mood Scale is a reliable and valid scale and both genders responded to it using the same framework and metric, suggesting it could be used to measure negative mood in Chinese community-dwelling older adults. Further testing of the instrument is needed.
authors: The Nethersole School of Nursing, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong. dorisleung@cuhk.edu.hk
authors: Doris Y P
authors: DY
authors: Leung
authors: Angela Y M
authors: AY
authors: Leung
authors: Iris
authors: I
authors: Chi
mesh_terms: D000339:Affect; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D044466:Asian People / Q000523:psychology*; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D006723:Hong Kong / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012737:Sex Factors