Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment (Mar 2018)
Psychometric properties of the Patient Dignity Inventory in an acute psychiatric ward: an extension study of the preliminary validation
Abstract
Rosaria Di Lorenzo,1 Paola Ferri,2 Carlotta Biffarella,2 Giulio Cabri,3 Eleonora Carretti,4 Gabriella Pollutri,5 Ludovica Spattini,5 Cinzia Del Giovane,6 Harvey Max Chochinov7 1Psychiatric Intensive Treatment Facility, Mental Health Department, Azienda USL, Modena, Italy; 2Department of Diagnostic, Clinical and Public Health Medicine, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy; 3Service of Psychiatric Diagnosis and Treatment, Mental Health Department, Azienda USL, Modena, Italy; 4School of Nursing, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy; 5School of Specialization in Pscyhiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy; 6Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Primary Care (BIHAM), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; 7Department of Psychiatry, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada Background: During the last decades, dignity has been an emerging issue in mental health since its ethical and therapeutic implications became known. This study is an extension of the preliminary validation of the Patient Dignity Inventory (PDI) in a psychiatric setting, originally designed for assessing perceived dignity in terminal cancer patients. Methods: From October 21, 2015 to December 31, 2016, we administered the Italian PDI to all patients hospitalized in an acute psychiatric ward, who provided their consent and completed it at discharge (n=165). We performed Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and principal factor analysis. We administered other scales concomitantly to analyze the concurrent validity of PDI. We applied stepwise multiple linear regression to identify the patients’ demographic and clinical variables related to the PDI score. Results: Our response rate was 93%, with excellent internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha coefficient=0.94). The factorial analysis showed three factors with eigenvalue >1, which explained >80% of total variance: 1) “loss of self-identity and anxiety for the future”, 2) “concerns for social dignity and spiritual life”, and 3) “loss of personal autonomy”. The PDI and the three factor scores were positively and significantly correlated with the Hamilton Scales for Depression and Anxiety but not with other scale scores. Among patients’ variables, “suicide risk” and “insufficient social and economic condition” were positively and significantly correlated with the PDI total score. Conclusion: The PDI can be a reliable tool to assess patients’ dignity perception in a psychiatric setting, which suggests that both social and clinical severe conditions are closely related to dignity loss. Keywords: dignity perception in psychiatry, patient dignity inventory, patients hospitalized in an acute psychiatric ward, severe psychiatric diseases, suicide risk, insufficient social and economic condition
