Agitated behaviours among the institutionalized elderly with dementia: validation of the Korean version of the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory.

Objectives: To analyze the factor structure, the criterion validity, the internal consistency, inter-rater reliability and test-retest reliability of the Korean version of Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory, to provide data on the frequency and distribution of agitated behaviours, and to compare patterns of agitated behaviours among the institutionalized elderly with Alzheimer's disease (AD) or Vascular dementia (VaD).
Methods: The Korean version of the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI-K) was administered to a total of 257 elderly with AD or VaD in a nursing home in Seoul, Korea. Three kinds of reliability and criterion validity were tested. Factor analysis using principal component analysis with the varimax rotation was performed. To identify different patterns of agitated behaviours, multiple logistic regression analysis was used.
Results: This study demonstrated satisfactory reliability and validity for the CMAI-K as an instrument measuring agitation in Korean dementia sufferers in nursing homes. Eighty-three percent of the subjects manifested one or more agitated behaviours at least once a week. Factor analysis yielded four subtypes of agitation: physically aggressive behaviours, physically nonaggressive behaviours, verbally agitated behaviours, and hiding/hoarding behaviours.
Conclusion: These results indicate that the CMAI-K is a reliable and valid instrument to measure agitated behaviours in Korean elderly with AD or VaD. These results validate and expand previous research on the agitation in dementia, and guide in the development of interventions.
(Copyright 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)