An investigation into the utility of the Stroke Aphasic Depression Questionnaire (SADQ) in care home settings.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the utility of the Stroke Aphasia Depression Scale (SADQ) to identify emotional distress among individuals living in a care home setting.

DESIGN

A prospective comparison of the SADQ and the depression subsection of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).

SETTING

Care homes in Oxfordshire.

PARTICIPANTS

Eighty-two care home residents without major communication or cognitive problems.

MEASURES

Participants completed the HADS. The SADQ was completed on behalf of each resident by his or her principal carer.

RESULTS

Spearman's rank correlation between the two measures was statistically significant (r = 0.447, P < 0.01). Receiver operator characteristics plots revealed an optimal cut-off point of 14 on the SADQ which gave sensitivity and specificity of 77% and 78% respectively.

CONCLUSION

The SADQ, an observational measure, can identify emotional distress in non-aphasic patients in a care home setting. It would be reasonable to use it with people with communication and cognitive problems who are unable to take part in conventional assessments.