Validity and reliability of the Dysfunctional Behaviour Rating Instrument

The objective of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of the Dysfunctional Behaviour Rating Instrument (DBRI) in cognitively impaired older adults living in the community. A total of 184 adults with suspected cognitive impairment received a standardized history, physical examination and work-up that included the Standardized Mini-Mental State Examination. Caregivers scored a DBRI Behaviour Problem Checklist (BPC) and Lawton Scale for each patient. The reliability of the DBRI, measured by an intraclass correlation coefficient, was 0.75. The correlation coefficient between the DBRI and the BPC total score was 0.71. The correlations between the DBRI and the cognitive, activities of daily living and self-care domain scores of the BPC were lower (0.66, 0.38 and 0.26 respectively). The DBRI is a specific, reliable and valid caregiver-reported measure of dysfunctional behaviour in cognitively impaired elderly living in the community.