van der Wolf Elja, van Hooren Susan A H, Waterink Wim, Lechner Lilian
1 Laurens, Residential Care Center "De Oudelandse Hof," Berkel en Rodenrijs, the Netherlands.
2 Open University, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, DL, Heerlen, the Netherlands.
J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol. 2018 May;31(3):136-148. doi: 10.1177/0891988718781031. Epub 2018 Jun 10.
The gerontopsychiatric population consists of nursing home residents with combined psychiatric and physical disabilities. A validated measure to assess well-being among this population is currently not available. This article is a first step toward the development of a well-being instrument for the gerontopsychiatric population.
Potential measurement items were gathered and selected with the help of both gerontopsychiatric residents and care professionals. A total of 295 residents and their primary professional caregivers were interviewed. Theoretical and data-driven considerations were applied in the methodological process of scale construction.
The final instrument comprised of 30 items within 3 dimensions of well-being (physical, social, and psychological well-being). Reliability and validity were found to be adequate for all dimensions and subscales.
The Laurens Well-Being Inventory for Gerontopsychiatry measures well-being in gerontopsychiatric nursing home residents. The first results regarding reliability and validity are promising. More research is needed especially to examine test-retest reliability and responsiveness to change.
