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Validity and Usefulness of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale in Carers of People with Dementia: Evidence from Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Concurrent Validity, and Measurement Invariance in a Large Sample

Stott, J; Orrell, M; Charlesworth, G; (2017) Validity and Usefulness of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale in Carers of People with Dementia: Evidence from Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Concurrent Validity, and Measurement Invariance in a Large Sample. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry , 25 (11) pp. 1270-1280. 10.1016/j.jagp.2017.05.017. Green open access

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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) is a self-report measure of anxiety and depression. It is recommended for clinical assessment and has been used as the primary outcome in large clinical trials with carers of people with dementia. Its validity and utility have never been examined in this population. The current study addresses this. METHODS: In a secondary analysis of baseline data from a recent intervention trial (N = 284) with cross-validation in baseline data from a second trial (N = 230), the authors used confirmatory factor analysis to test whether a one-, two-, or three-factor structure best fit the data and used indices of model misspecification to respecify. Internal consistency, concurrent validity of obtained factors, and measurement invariance across gender, age, kinship, and cohabitation status were assessed. RESULTS: A three-factor structure best fit the data. Removal of one item improved model fit. The factors showed good internal consistency and high levels of concurrent validity. Measurement invariance was adequate across gender and kinship but not age or cohabitation status. Results were replicated in the cross-validation sample, enhancing reliability. CONCLUSION: In this group the HADS measured three factors; depression, anxiety, and negative affectivity. The depression scale can be used as originally intended, supporting results of large clinical trials. The HADS does not validly measure distress or anxiety. Consequently, clinical practice recommendations could be revisited, and future research trials should not use HADS anxiety or distress as outcomes. Researchers should pay attention to measurement invariance when using HADS to compare carer subgroups.

Type: Article
Title: Validity and Usefulness of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale in Carers of People with Dementia: Evidence from Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Concurrent Validity, and Measurement Invariance in a Large Sample
Location: England
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1016/j.jagp.2017.05.017
Publisher version: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2017.05.017
Language: English
Additional information: © 2017 American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: HADS, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, carers, dementia, factor analysis, validity
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences > Clinical, Edu and Hlth Psychology
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Division of Psychiatry
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1559871
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