Development and testing of a new outcome measure of relationship between patients with Alzheimer's disease and their partners.

In mild Alzheimer's disease (AD), loss of relationship with the patient is a significant consequence for the partner (relative) and may be amenable to improvement with effective intervention. To evaluate relationship dynamics, the authors developed and tested content and discriminative validity of the self-administered Partner-Patient Questionnaire for Shared Activities among 100 partners of patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. Principal component analysis confirmed that interference in 17 activities derived from the literature and partner-specified activities comprised a relationship factor; internal consistency was very high. Time spent caregiving, caregiver esteem, lack of family support, and impact on partner health and activities were significant predictors of the Partner-Patient Questionnaire for Shared Activities, but the patient's cognitive and mood states were not. The Partner-Patient Questionnaire for Shared Activities warrants additional psychometric testing as a measure of Alzheimer's disease outcome.