Objective The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) is an evaluation tool to diagnose older adult's depression. This questionnaire was defined by Yesavage and Brink in 1982; it was designed expressly for the older person and defines his/her degree of satisfaction, quality of life, and feelings. The objective of this study is to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Italian translation of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-IT). Methods The Italian version of the Geriatric Depression Scale was administered to 119 people (79 people with a depression diagnosis and 40 healthy ones). We examined the following psychometric characteristics: internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, concurrent validity, and construct validity (factor structure). Results Cronbach's Alpha for the GDS-IT administered to the depressed sample was 0.84. Test-retest reliability was 0.91 and the concurrent validity was 0.83. The factorial analysis showed a structure of 5 factors, and the scale cut-off is between 10 and 11. Conclusion The GDS-IT proved to be a reliable and valid questionnaire for the evaluation of depression in an Italian population. In the present study, the GDS-IT showed good psychometric properties. Health professionals now have an assessment tool for the evaluation of depression symptoms in the Italian population.

Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the 39-item Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39) to the Italian culture was performed by Oxford University Innovation in 2008, but this version has never been validated. Therefore, we performed the process of validation of the Italian version of the PDQ-39 (PDQ-39-IT) following the "Consensus-Based Standards for the Selection of Health Status Measurement Instruments" checklist. The translated PDQ-39-IT was tested with 104 patients diagnosed with Parkinson's disease (PD) who were recruited between June and October 2017. The mean age of the participants was 65.7 ± 10.2 years, and the mean duration of symptoms was 7.4 ± 5.3 years. The internal consistency of the PDQ-39-IT was assessed by Cronbach's alpha and ranged from 0.69 to 0.92. In an assessment of test-retest reliability in 35 of the 104 patients, the infraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) ranged from 0.85 to 0.96 for the various subitems of the PDQ-39-IT (all p < 0.01). Spearman's rank correlation coefficient for the validity of the PDQ-39-IT and the Italian version of the 36-Item Short Form (SF-36) was - 0.50 (p < 0.01). The results show that the PDQ-39-IT is a reliable and valid tool to assess the impact of PD on functioning and well-being. Thus, the PDQ-39-IT can be used in clinical and research practice to assess this construct and to evaluate the overall effect of different treatments in Italian PD patients.

Introduction The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) is commonly used to assess depressive symptoms, but its psychometric properties have never been examined in Italian people with Parkinson's disease (PD). The aim of this study was to study the reliability and validity of the Italian version of the GDS in a sample of PD patients. Methods The GDS was administered to 74 patients with PD in order to study its internal consistency, test-retest reliability, construct, and discriminant validity. Results The internal consistency of GDS was excellent (α = 0.903), as well as the test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.941 [95% CI: 0.886–0.970]). GDS showed a strong correlation with instruments related to the depression (ρ = 0.880) in PD (ρ = 0.712) and a weak correlation with generic measurement instruments (−0.320 < ρ <−0.217). An area under the curve of 0.892 (95% CI 0.809–0.975) indicated a moderate capability to discriminate depressed patients to nondepressed patient, with a cutoff value between 15 and 16 points that predicts depression (sensitivity = 87%; specificity = 82%). Conclusion The GDS is a reliable and valid tool in a sample of Italian PD subjects; this scale can be used in clinical and research contexts.

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Introduction: In rheumatoid arthritis, a reduction in hand function can lead to a decrease in health, with a consequent limitation of daily life activities and restriction in social participation. Evaluation plays a decisive role in the functional recovery process and in rehabilitation programs. The Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test is one of the most widely used non-diagnosis-specific assessment tools in rehabilitation. The aim of the study was to evaluate the intra-rater and interrater reliability and concurrent validity of the Italian version of the Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test (JTHFT-IT) in a population with rheumatoid arthritis. Methods: The test's reliability and validity were assessed by following international guidelines. Its internal consistency and intra-and inter-rater reliability were examined using Cronbach's alpha coefficient and the intraclass correlation coefficient, respectively. Its concurrent validity was evaluated using Pearson's correlation coefficient with a dynamometer instrument. Results: The test was given to 108 people with rheumatoid arthritis. Cronbach's alpha reported a value of 0.91 for the dominant hand and 0.87 for the non-dominant hand. Intra-and inter-rater reliability were evaluated with a subgroup of 30 individuals. Intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from 0.46 to 1.00 in the dominant and non-dominant hands. Pearson's correlation between subtests and the dynamometer ranged from-0.14 to-0.59. Conclusions: The present study supports the use of the JTHFT-IT as a measure of hand functionality in people with rheumatoid arthritis. It is an important tool for Italian professionals and it can be useful both in clinical practice to evaluate improvement after rehabilitation treatments and for research in hand rehabilitation.