Factor structure of the Dementia Mood Assessment Scale in a cohort of community-dwelling elderly

We examined the factor structure of the 28-item Dementia Mood Assessment Scale (DMAS), an instrument to assess depressive symptoms in older adults with cognitive impairment, in a cohort of 165 community-dwelling elderly with varying degrees of cognitive impairment. Factor analysis using principal components analysis and varimax rotation was performed to explore the presence of subscales and examine construct validity. A five-factor structure involving all 28 items accounting for 63.2% of the variance in the DMAS scores was derived. Factors were named: Depressed Affect, Environmental Interaction, Diurnal Patterns, Agitation/Suspicion, and Somatic Indicators. This factor structure reflects the often differing presentations of depressive symptoms in older adults with varying degrees of cognitive function and establishes the construct validity of the DMAS in this population. We conclude that the DMAS may be used for differentiated clinical assessment of depressive symptoms along major dimensions of depressive illness in this cohort of elderly.