Factor structure and reliability of the symptom measurement of post-stroke depression in the rehabilitation stage

The incidence of Post Stroke Depression (PSD) in the Rehabilitation Stage is high, which can bring serious physical and psychological disorders to patients. However, there is still a lack of targeted tools for screening PSD in the rehabilitation stage. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the factor structure and reliability of a measurement instrument to screen for PSD in the rehabilitation stage.

A cross-sectional study was conducted on 780 hospitalized stroke patients who were within the rehabilitation stage from May to August 2020. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) as well as first- and second-order confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were performed to evaluate the factor structure of the newly developed Symptom Measurement of Post-Stroke Depression in the Rehabilitation Stage (SMPSD-RS). The reliability and validity of the SMPSD-RS were also verified using several statistical methods.

EFA extracted a 24-item, five-factor (cognition, sleep, behavior, emotion, and obsession) model that can clinically explain the symptoms of PSD during the rehabilitation stage. A first-order CFA confirmed the EFA model with good model fit indices, and the second-order CFA further confirmed the five-factor structure model and showed acceptable model fit indices. Acceptable reliability and validity were also achieved by the corresponding indicators.

The SMPSD-RS was proven to have a stable factor structure and was confirmed to be reliable and valid for assessing PSD symptoms in stroke patients during the rehabilitation stage.