Validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Holden Communication Scale

IntroductionThe communication skills of individuals with dementia are affected even in the early stages of the condition. To date, there is no scale for the evaluation of communication abilities in Turkish-speaking populations with dementia that can be used in clinical practice and research. The present study aimed to determine the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Holden Communication Scale (HCS-TR). Materials and methodsThe study was carried out with 141 participants (77 female and 64 male). Psychometric analyses were conducted to assess the internal consistency, construct and criterion validity, test-retest reliability, and inter-rater reliability of the HCS-TR. The Standardized Mini-Mental State Examination (SMMSE) test was used for criterion validity. For the inter-rater reliability of the scale, the two different caregivers of individuals with dementia were administered the scale separately at the same time. For test-retest reliability, 2 weeks later, the same caregivers who filled out the HCS-TR the first time were administered to fill out the scale again. To test the validity of the scale, an item factor analysis was performed, and the correlations between the items and subsections were determined. ResultsThe factor loadings indicating the adequate contribution of the scale items to the relevant dimension were within the 0.700-0.831 range. There were positive relationships between all the items of the HCS-TR, and there was a significant negative relationship (r = -.842) between HCS-TR and MMSE. The corrected item-total correlation values were found to be within the .676-.794 range. Cronbach's alpha values for the HCS-TR subsection and total scores in the first and second measurements were found to be in the range of .718-.944. There was no statistically significant difference (p = .709) between the mean total scores in the first and second measurements. ConclusionThe HCS-TR is a valid and reliable tool that can be used for clinical and research purposes to assess the strengths and limitations of the communication skills of Turkish individuals with dementia.