Construct and concurrent validity of the Dementia Rating Scale-2 Alternate Form

Area of Science:

• Neuropsychology
• Geriatric Medicine
• Cognitive Assessment

Background:

• The original Dementia Rating Scale-2 (DRS-2) is used for neuropsychological assessments.
• An alternate form (DRS-2: AF) was developed for serial evaluations.
• Validation of the DRS-2: AF is crucial for its clinical application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present preliminary validation results for the DRS-2: AF.
• To assess the construct validity of DRS-2: AF subscales.
• To demonstrate the construct and concurrent validity of the DRS-2: AF Total Score.

Main Methods:

• Study 1: Administered DRS-2: AF and other neuropsychological measures to 49 healthy adults.
• Study 2: Administered DRS-2: AF and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) to 65 continuing care retirement community residents (30 with dementia, 35 without).
• Used correlational analyses and discriminant function analysis for validation.

Main Results:

• Convergent and discriminant analyses supported the construct validity of four DRS-2: AF subscales (Attention, Initiation/ Perseveration, Conceptualization, Memory).
• A strong correlation was observed between the DRS-2: AF Total Score and the MMSE.
• Discriminant function analysis accurately classified 94% of participants into dementia or comparison groups.

Conclusions:

• The DRS-2: AF demonstrates robust preliminary validation.
• The findings suggest the DRS-2: AF is a potentially useful tool for serial neuropsychological assessments, particularly in dementia evaluations.
• The DRS-2: AF shows promise for tracking cognitive changes over time.