Elisabetta Garofalo1, Alessandro Iavarone2, Sergio Chieffi3, Michele Carpinelli Mazzi1,4, Nadia Gamboz5, Ferdinando Ivano Ambra6, Maria Sannino1, Filomena Galeone7, Sabrina Esposito8, Bruno Ronga1, Ciro Rosario Ilardi1,9. 1. Neurological Unit, CTO Hospital, AORN "Ospedali dei Colli", Naples, Italy. 2. Neurological Unit, CTO Hospital, AORN "Ospedali dei Colli", Naples, Italy. aleiavarone@gmail.com. 3. Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy. 4. Italian Association of Alzheimer's Patients (AIMA Campania), Naples, Italy. 5. Laboratory of Experimental Psychology, Suor Orsola Benincasa University, Naples, Italy. 6. Department of Motor Science and Wellness, University of Naples "Parthenope", Naples, Italy. 7. Frailty Unit, ASL Napoli 1 Centro, Naples, Italy. 8. Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy. 9. Department of Psychology, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Caserta, Italy.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The present normative study aimed to (1) develop the Italian version of the Starkstein Apathy Scale (SAS-I) and (2) construct a shortened version including only the most sensitive items to "pure apathy" experiences. METHODS: The normative sample included 392 healthy subjects. A regression-based procedure was used to explore the effects of sex, age, and education on the raw SAS-I score. A correction grid was designed for adjusting raw scores by adding or subtracting the contribution of any significant variable and net of sociodemographic interindividual differences. Cutoff scores were also calculated and fixed at the external tolerance limit on the ninety-fifth centile. To obtain the shortened version, each SAS-I item was correlated with the Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI) score. The only items showing no correlation with BDI were implemented to bypass the well-known overlap between apathetic and depressive symptoms. RESULTS: The mean raw SAS-I score was 11.27 (SD = 4.42). A significant education effect was observed, with highly educated subjects obtaining lower scores than lowly educated ones. The proposed general cutoff score was 20.68. The SAS-I had fair internal consistency and discriminant validity. Internal consistency increased by removing item 3. The new SAS-6 included items 1, 2, 4, 10, 11, and 13 of the original scale. CONCLUSION: The SAS-I is a reliable assessment tool to support the diagnosis of apathy. The SAS-6, instead, is a brief questionnaire useful for quickly screening apathetic symptoms in outpatient practice, addressing or not the clinician to further investigations.
OBJECTIVES: The present normative study aimed to (1) develop the Italian version of the Starkstein Apathy Scale (SAS-I) and (2) construct a shortened version including only the most sensitive items to "pure apathy" experiences. METHODS: The normative sample included 392 healthy subjects. A regression-based procedure was used to explore the effects of sex, age, and education on the raw SAS-I score. A correction grid was designed for adjusting raw scores by adding or subtracting the contribution of any significant variable and net of sociodemographic interindividual differences. Cutoff scores were also calculated and fixed at the external tolerance limit on the ninety-fifth centile. To obtain the shortened version, each SAS-I item was correlated with the Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI) score. The only items showing no correlation with BDI were implemented to bypass the well-known overlap between apathetic and depressive symptoms. RESULTS: The mean raw SAS-I score was 11.27 (SD = 4.42). A significant education effect was observed, with highly educated subjects obtaining lower scores than lowly educated ones. The proposed general cutoff score was 20.68. The SAS-I had fair internal consistency and discriminant validity. Internal consistency increased by removing item 3. The new SAS-6 included items 1, 2, 4, 10, 11, and 13 of the original scale. CONCLUSION: The SAS-I is a reliable assessment tool to support the diagnosis of apathy. The SAS-6, instead, is a brief questionnaire useful for quickly screening apathetic symptoms in outpatient practice, addressing or not the clinician to further investigations.
Authors: S E Starkstein; H S Mayberg; T J Preziosi; P Andrezejewski; R Leiguarda; R G Robinson Journal: J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci Date: 1992 Impact factor: 2.198
Authors: Edith J Liemburg; Jozarni J L A S Dlabac-De Lange; Leonie Bais; Henderikus Knegtering; Matthias J P van Osch; Remco J Renken; André Aleman Journal: Schizophr Res Date: 2014-12-10 Impact factor: 4.939