Affiliations: [a] Univ. Lille, CNRS, CHU Lille, UMR 9193 – SCALab – Sciences Cognitives et Sciences Affectives, Lille, France
| [b] Univ. Nantes, EA 4638 – LPPL – Laboratoire de Psychologie des Pays de la Loire, Nantes, France
| [c] Unité de Gériatrie, Centre Hospitalier de Tourcoing, Tourcoing, France
| [d] Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
Correspondence:
[*]
Correspondence to: Amandine Mayelle, Laboratoire SCALab, Université Lille Nord de France, Domaine universitaire du Pont de Bois, BP 149, 59653 Villeneuve d’Ascq Cedex, France. Tel.: +33 3 20 41 67 09; E-mail: amandine.mayelle@univ-lille.fr.
Abstract: Background:People with Alzheimer’s disease (PwAD) remain able to speak coherently about their daily life for a long time, and their level of awareness could be determined through their discourse. In a grounded-theory approach, awareness of self and awareness of disease are intertwined and can be observed through three domains: mechanisms, objects and modes of expression. Objective:Based on preliminary results, in this article, we present the ASDA (Awareness of Self and Disease Assessment), a new subjective measurement tool for awareness in PwAD. To consider its use in research and practice, we initially performed validation analyses, including internal consistency, test-retest reliability and interrater reliability analyses. Methods:The new assessment tool consists of a semi-structured interview and ratings of 22 items divided into three categories. As part of our observational study, we assessed a sample of 28 PwAD who participated in four interviews (one every two weeks). Results:The ASDA shows good homogeneity within the domains of awareness and a certain degree of stability between two measurement times and between investigators. Missing values in the results provided information regarding awareness levels within and across the subjects. Conclusion:The results suggest that awareness could be assessed through subjective experience without reference to a comparison.
