Development of an instrument to assess social functioning in dementia: The Social Functioning in Dementia scale (SF-DEM).
BACKGROUND
Social functioning is a core domain in the life of people with dementia, but there is no accepted instrument to measure it. We aimed to develop the Social Functioning in Dementia (SF-DEM) scale and test its psychometric properties for assessing social function in people with dementia.


METHODS
We interviewed people with mild dementia and family caregivers to develop patient and caregiver-rated SF-DEM versions and refined them through interviews with health care professionals. We tested its psychometric properties in 30 dyads of people with dementia and family caregivers.


RESULTS
Both SF-DEM versions had content validity and demonstrated concurrent validity against a single item rating overall social functioning (patient ratedr= 0.42, 95% CI [0.07-0.68]; caregiver ratedr= 0.59, 95% CI [0.29-0.78]). All participants found it acceptable. Analyses showed reliability (test-retest, inter-rater, internal consistency) and indications of responsiveness to change.


CONCLUSIONS
SF-DEM shows promise as a valid, reliable, acceptable measure of social functioning in dementia.
Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK; Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust, St Pancras Hospital, London, UK.
Andrew
A
Sommerlad
Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
David
D
Singleton
Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
Rebecca
R
Jones
Centre for Dementia Studies, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex, Brighton, East Sussex, UK.
Sube
S
Banerjee
Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK; Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust, St Pancras Hospital, London, UK.
Gill
G
Livingston
Assessment tool; Dementia; Outcome assessment; Social functioning