Application of the Older Adult Self-Report and Older Adult Behavior Checklist to Chinese Older Adults: Syndrome Structure and Inter-Informant Agreement

Abstract

Despite the rapid aging of the world's population, comprehensive assessment tools to meet the mental health needs of older adults are lacking. The aim of the current study was to assess the multidimensionality of Chinese versions of U.S.-derived instruments designed to evaluate a broad spectrum of emotional, behavioral, social, and thought problems in older adults. The Older Adult Self-Report (OASR) and Older Adult Behavior Checklist (OABCL) were completed by 686 and 639 older adults, respectively, aged 60 to 99 years, from a sample of 755 older adults. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) on the 97 OASR/OABCL problem items found that the models showed good fit according to our primary and secondary fit indices. None of the seven syndromes showed informant effects, whereas four showed small sex effects, and three showed small age effects. Overall, findings demonstrate the applicability of the seven syndrome OASR/OABCL model to Chinese older adults and support the use of these instruments to assess older adult mental health in Chinese clinical and research settings. These standardized tools can help health care professionals more comprehensively assess cognitive, behavioral, and mental health problems among Chinese-speaking older adult populations. [ Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 48 (8), 26–32.]