Developing a new apathy measurement scale: Dimensional Apathy Scale.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional psychometric scale development and validation study in healthy volunteers
PubMed 24972546 · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2014.06.010
What was done
A 45-item preliminary questionnaire assessing multidimensional apathy subtypes was administered to 311 healthy participants (mean age 37.4 years, S.D. 15.0). Horn's parallel analysis of principal factors and Exploratory Factor Analysis were performed to identify the underlying factor structure. A 24-item final version was created across three subscales, internal consistency reliability was assessed, and convergent/discriminant relationship with depression was evaluated using the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II).
What was found
Factor analysis identified 4 initial factors (Executive, Emotional, Cognitive Initiation, and Behavioural Initiation) accounting for 28.9% of the total variance. 24 items were extracted into 3 subscales: Executive, Emotional, and Behavioural/Cognitive Initiation. Good internal consistency reliability was reported for the subscales, though specific numerical coefficients were not stated in the abstract. A weak to moderate relationship was observed between the DAS and the BDI-II, without numerical correlation values provided in the abstract.
Why it matters
The Dimensional Apathy Scale provides a multidimensional framework to separate distinct apathy subtypes (executive, emotional, and initiation deficits) designed for application in neurological and motor disorder populations.
Limits
The scale was developed and tested exclusively in healthy participants rather than the intended target population of patients with neurodegenerative or motor disorders. The extracted factors accounted for only 28.9% of the total variance. Exact numerical reliability metrics and correlation coefficients were not reported in the abstract.
Cited by
- supports Apathy dissociates into distinct clinical subdomains, including behavioral, social, emotional, and cognitive apathy.