Self report questionnaire assessment of anxiety and depression amongst stroke patients in rehabilitation settings
Year: 2010
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Background and purpose: Depression and anxiety are common stroke sequelae and are detrimental to outcomes if not detected and addressed. Some self-report measures of anxiety and depression have been criticised for lack of specificity and face validity of item structure [Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale - HADS] or may not be fully validated for a stroke population [Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form - GDS-SF]. A recently developed anxiety measure may be useful for this population [Geriatric Anxiety Inventory - GAI]. The purpose of the study is to assess the clinical utility of these measures for screening mood disorders in people over 45 years old undergoing stroke rehabilitation. Methods: The HADS, GAI and GDS-SF were assessed against DSM-IV “gold standard” diagnoses from the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview [MINI]. A sample of patients in rehabilitation following stroke (n=34) was used. The age range was 46-92 (mean 73.12 years; SD=12.37). 21 participants were female and 13 were male (61.8% and 38.2% respectively). The study sample had relatively intact cognitive function as assessed by referring clinicians and relatively high communicative ability with Frenchay Aphasia Screening Test [FAST] scores in the range 18 to 30 (mean 26.38; SD=2.94). Results: All measures were able to distinguish those with index disorders from those without. HADSA displayed sensitivity 91%, specificity 70% at a cut-off of 8/21. HADS-D displayed sensitivity 82%, specificity 83% at a cut-off of 8/21. GAI displayed sensitivity 91%, specificity 65% at a cut-off of 8/20. GDS-SF displayed sensitivity 63%, specificity 87% at a cut-off of 8/15. Conclusions: All conclusions are tentative as this is a small scale preliminary study. The HADS performed best in screening for anxiety and depression, and is suitable for use with a cognitively intact stroke population. The GAI also performed well and is suitable for use with this population. The GDS-SF had poor sensitivity and so does not appear suitable for this population.
Author: Blair Hanlon
Language: English
Subfield: Rehabilitation
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1505031623