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The Patient Distress Scale questionnaire: factor structure and internal consistency
Susan R Borgaro1, George P Prigatano, Sally Alcott
1Section of Neuropsychology, Division of Neurology, Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ, USA. sborgar@chw.edu
Insights
The Patient Distress Scale (PDS) effectively measures emotional distress awareness in acute neurological patients during rehabilitation. This study confirms its reliability and utility for assessing patient and family member perspectives.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Rehabilitation Medicine
Background:
- Emotional disturbances are common in acute neurological patients during early rehabilitation.
- Assessing patient awareness of these emotional changes is crucial for effective care.
- The Patient Distress Scale (PDS) was developed to address this need.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the factor structure of the Patient Distress Scale (PDS).
- To determine the internal consistency and reliability of the PDS in acute neurological patients.
- To validate the PDS as a tool for assessing emotional distress awareness.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective cohort study of 84 acute neurological inpatients and 64 relatives.
- The Patient Distress Scale (PDS) was administered during neuropsychological evaluation.
- Principle components factor analysis with varimax rotation was employed.
Main Results:
- A three-factor solution explained 62% of the variance, partially supporting the PDS structure.
- The PDS demonstrated strong reliability for patients (r = 0.82) and relatives (r = 0.86) on total scores.
- Acceptable reliability was found for both patient and relative factor scores.
Conclusions:
- The Patient Distress Scale (PDS) shows preliminary utility in measuring awareness of emotional disturbances in acute neurological patients.
- Findings support the PDS as a reliable tool for both patients and their relatives.
- Further validation may enhance its role in neurorehabilitation settings.
Primary Objective:
This study examined the factor structure and internal consistency of the Patient Distress Scale (PDS). The PDS is an 11-item questionnaire that was developed to assess acute neurological patients' awareness of emotional disturbances during early rehabilitation.
Research Design:
A retrospective cohort of patients seen for inpatient rehabilitation following brain injury.
Procedures:
The PDS was administered to patients and family members upon admission to the neurorehabilitation unit as part of their neuropsychological evaluation.
Outcomes And Results:
Subjects were heterogeneous sample of acute neurological inpatients (n = 84) and their relatives (n = 64). A principle components factor analysis with varimax rotation yielded a three factor solution, which together accounted for 62% of the variance. The factor solution provided partial support for the initial structure of the PDS. Analyses revealed relatively strong reliability coefficients for patients (r = 0.82) and relatives (r = 0.86) on the PDS total score. Acceptable reliability coefficients were also found for patients and relatives on each of the factor scores.
Conclusions:
Preliminary findings support the utility of the PDS as a measure of awareness in acute neurological patients.