Objective: To assess the utility of the Stroke Aphasia Depression Scale (SADQ) to identify emotional distress among individuals living in a care home setting.
Design: A prospective comparison of the SADQ and the depression subsection of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).
Setting: Care homes in Oxfordshire.
Participants: Eighty-two care home residents without major communication or cognitive problems.
Measures: Participants completed the HADS. The SADQ was completed on behalf of each resident by his or her principal carer.
Results: Spearman's rank correlation between the two measures was statistically significant (r = 0.447, P < 0.01). Receiver operator characteristics plots revealed an optimal cut-off point of 14 on the SADQ which gave sensitivity and specificity of 77% and 78% respectively.
Conclusion: The SADQ, an observational measure, can identify emotional distress in non-aphasic patients in a care home setting. It would be reasonable to use it with people with communication and cognitive problems who are unable to take part in conventional assessments.