Validity of the Brazilian version of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q)

The NPI-Q (Neuropsychiatry Inventory-Questionnaire) was developed to facilitate the evaluation of neuropsychiatric symptoms. This study evaluated the internal consistency, the test-retest reliability of the Brazilian NPI-Q version and its convergent validity with the original NPI.MethodThe NPI-Q and the NPI were administered to 64 caregivers of dementia patients. Thirteen informants were asked to complete a second NPI-Q form.ResultsThe internal consistency of the Brazilian NPI-Q version was 0.67 for the severity scale and 0.81 for the distress scale. The test-retest reliability of the total NPI-Q severity and the distress scales were 0.97 and 0.92, respectively (p < 0.001). There were significant correlations between the total NPI-Q severity score and the NPI (r = 0.75) and between the total NPI-Q distress score and the total NPI standard distress (r = 0.74).ConclusionThe Brazilian NPI-Q version showed evidence of good psychometric properties and can be used in general clinical practice.