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Development of a Worry Questionnaire for Nursing Home Residents

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 March 2010

Emerenciana A. Hertzsprung ,
Candace Konnert  and
Jaylene Brinker
Emerenciana A. Hertzsprung
Affiliation:
University of Calgary
Candace Konnert*
Affiliation:
University of Calgary
Jaylene Brinker
Affiliation:
University of Western Ontario
*
Requests for offprints should be sent to: / Les demandes de tirés-à-part doivent être adressées à : Candace Konnert, Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive N.W., Calgary, AB T2N 1N4. (konnert@ucalgary.ca)
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Abstract

This paper describes a new measure, the Worry Questionnaire for Nursing Home Residents (WQNHR), designed to assess the frequency of specific worries. It was administered to 67 residents. Psychometric evaluation showed an average item-to-total correlation of 0.20 (range = 0.15 to 0.58), an internal consistency estimate of 0.79, and a test-re-test reliability coefficient of 0.80. The WQNHR showed good convergent validity with other measures of worry obtained from residents, good discriminant validity with measures of health, but poor discriminant validity with self-ratings of depression. Psychometric results also indicated that the WQNHR performed better for residents with higher cognitive functioning. In addition, a collateral form (WQNHR-C) was administered to family or friends; however, it was not significantly correlated with the WQNHR. Overall, the WQNHR is a promising screening instrument for assessing worry in nursing home residents.

Résumé

Ce mémoire décrit un nouvel instrument de mesure, le Worry Questionnaire for Nursing Home Residents (WQNHR) (ou questionnaire des inquiétudes des pensionnaires d'établissements de soins infirmiers), qui sert à mesurer la fréquence de certains sujets d'inquiétude. Le questionnaire a été administré à 67 pensionnaires. L'évaluation psychométrique donne une corrélation item-score total moyenne de 0,20 (portée = 0,15 à 0,58), une cohérence interne estimative de 0,79, et un coefficient de fidélité au test-retest de 0,80. Le WQNHR a une bonne validité convergente avec d'autres mesures de l'inquiétude appliquées aux pensionnaires, une bonne validité discriminante avec les mesures de l'état de santé, mais une faible validité discriminante pour l'auto-évaluation de la dépression. Les résultats psychométriques indiquent aussi que le WQNHR donne de meilleurs résultats chez les pensionnaires ayant un fonctionnement cognitif supérieur. Un questionnaire annexe (WQNHR-C) avait également été administré aux familles ou amis des pensionnaires; mais la corrélation avec le WQNHR s'est avérée faible. Pour résumer, le WQNHR est un instrument de dépistage prometteur pour évaluer l'inquiétude des pensionnaires de maisons de soins infirmiers.

Keywords

agingworrynursing home residentsvieillissementinquiétudepensionnaires de soins infirmiers
Type
Research Note
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 23 , Issue 4 , Winter/Hiver 2004 , pp. 359 - 366
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 2004

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