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The Development and Validation of the Threat of Dementia Scale

Richard Cheston Orcid Logo, Emily Dodd Orcid Logo, Gary Christopher Orcid Logo, Paul White, Tim Wildschut, Constantine Sedikides

The International Journal of Aging and Human Development, Volume: 94, Issue: 4, Pages: 496 - 514

Swansea University Author: Gary Christopher Orcid Logo

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Abstract

Dementia represents a substantial threat to the self. However, to date, there is no reliable way to measure how threatened people feel by dementia. This article reports on two online studies. In Study 1, 248 participants rated statements about dementia according to their threat to well-being. In Stu...

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Published in: The International Journal of Aging and Human Development
ISSN: 0091-4150 1541-3535
Published: SAGE Publications 2022
Online Access: Check full text

URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa62621
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Abstract: Dementia represents a substantial threat to the self. However, to date, there is no reliable way to measure how threatened people feel by dementia. This article reports on two online studies. In Study 1, 248 participants rated statements about dementia according to their threat to well-being. In Study 2, 99 participants (all students at the University of the West of England) completed the emerging scale (the Threat of Dementia Scale or ToDS). We validated this by examining its associations with conceptually related measures, including the revised Fraboni Scale of Ageism and the Fear of Alzheimer’s Disease Scale. Study 1 yielded 13 statements that were highly intercorrelated and comprised a single factor. In Study 2, the ToDS demonstrated good construct validity and acceptable test–retest reliability. Higher levels of distancing predicted lower scores on the ToDS. The ToDS is a reliable and valid instrument that is the first statistically validated method of examining the extent to which dementia threatens well-being.
Keywords: dementia; Alzheimer’s disease; identity; scales; threat
College: Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
Issue: 4
Start Page: 496
End Page: 514