Cornell Demansta Depresyon Ölçeğinin Türk Demans Hastalarında Geçerlik ve Güvenilirliği.

Objective: Depression is the most common psychiatric disorder among patients with dementia. The aim of this study was to investigate the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia. The scale was developed specifically to assess signs and symptoms of major depression in dementia on the basis of two semi-structured interviews; an interview with an informant and an interview with the patient. Method: The study was carried out with 45 (43%) demented patients attending to the psychiatry outpatient unit of a university hospital and 60 (57%) demented patients from four different nursing homes in Istanbul. All participants were fulfilling the DSM-IV criteria for dementia. Besides the Turkish version of Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia, Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I), Mini Mental State Examination, Geriatric Depression Scale, Global Deterioration Scale and sociodemographic data form developed by the researchers were applied to all participants. The validity study was based on comparisons between total score of the scale and diagnosis established by using SCID-I. Results: A high test-retest reliability (r: 0.88) and internal consistency (α: 0.79) were found. The total score and items of the scale were discriminated demented patients with depression from demented patients without depression except for item 15. Conclusion: The Turkish version of Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia is a reliable and valid instrument in investigating depression in dementia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]