[The Neuropsychiatric Inventory. Psychometric properties of its adaptation into Spanish]

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of the Spanish (Spain) version of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory.

Patients and methods: The Neuropsychiatric Inventory was administered to the caregivers of 63 subjects from the Dementia Unit, Hospital Santa Caterina, Girona. All patients had detailed neuropsychological assessment, and their non-cognitive symptoms were also examined with the CAMDEX.

Results: There was a high level of internal consistency reliability. The Neuropsychiatric Inventory subscores correlated with those of the CAMDEX, indicating an acceptable level of validity. The most frequent symptom was apathy (56%), followed by irritability (38%), depression/dysphoria (35%), aberrant motor behavior (30%), agitation/aggression (29%), anxiety (27%), disinhibition (24%), delusions (19%), hallucinations (14%) and euphoria (3%).

Conclusions: This study showed that the Spanish version of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory is a reliable instrument, which can briefly assess non-cognitive symptoms in demented patients. The Neuropsychiatric Inventory is a useful instrument for research and clinical practice in different culture around the world.