Parveen, Sahdia, Griffiths, Alys Wyn and Farina, Nicolas (2020) The development and validation of the Adolescent Level of Contact with Dementia Scale (ALoCDs). International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. ISSN 0885-6230

PDF - Accepted Version Download (746kB)

Abstract

Objectives
As the number of people living with dementia increases, reducing stigma has become a policy priority. One way of decreasing stigma is through contact with the stigmatised group. However, the impact of this is difficult to establish due to a lack of validated measures suitable for adolescents. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a level of contact questionnaire designed to assess adolescents’ contact with people living with dementia.

Methods
Participants were recruited from five schools in two studies (N = 446 and N = 488) and completed the preliminary 11‐item version of the Adolescent Level of Contact of Dementia (ALoCD).

Results
Study 1 explored the factor structure of the ALoCD, revealing two factors “direct contact” and “indirect contact”. Study 2 confirmed the structure of the ALoCD and tested for discriminant validity. These two studies resulted in a nine‐item scale that showed adequate internal consistency (α = .89, α = .62) and discriminant validity between those who did and did not live with a person with dementia.

Conclusion
The development of this scale enables assessment of direct (eg, living with a person with dementia) and indirect (watching a TV show about dementia) contact with dementia, and the extent of this contact. This initial validation suggests a psychometrically sound scale but further research should be undertaken to fully explore the properties of the scale.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	Children, Scale, Alzheimer's Disease, Measurement, Stigma, Contact
Schools and Departments:	Brighton and Sussex Medical School > Neuroscience
SWORD Depositor:	Mx Elements Account
Depositing User:	Mx Elements Account
Date Deposited:	26 May 2020 07:46
Last Modified:	18 Jun 2020 12:30
URI:	http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/91354

View download statistics for this item

📧 Request an update