Validation study of Arizona Battery for Communication Disorders of Dementia in Greek monolingual cognitively impaired patients

Abstract

The evaluation of cognitive-communication disorders is performed with several types of assessment methods. These methods include different types of cognitive and language tests such as the Arizona Battery for Communication Disorders of Dementia (ABCD). The present study aimed to validate the ABCD in the Greek language. 132 individuals participated in the study: 60 adults in cognitive health (ACH) and 72 patients [24 Parkinson Disease (PD) patients without cognitive impairment, 24 with Parkinson Disease Dementia (PDD) and 24 with Alzheimer's Disease (AD)]. The cognitive and mental status of all participants was estimated by means of the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Abbreviated Mental Test Score (AMTS), the Clock Drawing Test (CDT), the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL), the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (H-NPI) the Geriatric Depression Scale -15 (GDS-15) and the ABCD. Statistically significant differences were found between all tests administered with the PDD and AD patients having the lower scores. The ABCD showed good psychometric properties, internal consistency (Cronbach alpha=0. 901) and discriminatory ability. It was significantly correlated with the AMTS, CDT, IADL, and MMSE.The Greek version of the ABCD demonstrated good validity, sensitivity, and discriminatory ability. The ABCD is a valuable instrument to assess cognitive-communication dis-orders.