Measuring dementia knowledge and attitudes among the German Deaf community: adaptation and validation of the Knowledge Assessment Scale, the Dementia Attitude Scale, and the Confidence in Dementia Scale in German Sign Language

Background - Deaf individuals face barriers in accessing healthcare for dementia and Alzheimer's disease and are often overlooked in research. Deaf-friendly scales in German Sign Language (DGS) are urgently needed to ensure inclusive and equitable dementia care for Deaf individuals. - Objective...

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Hauptverfasser: Angelidou, Ioanna A. (VerfasserIn) , Ntova, Tarsitsa (VerfasserIn) , Karar, Ege (VerfasserIn) , Tsatali, Marianna (VerfasserIn) , Teichmann, Birgit (VerfasserIn)
Dokumenttyp: Article (Journal)
Sprache:Englisch
Veröffentlicht: October 31, 2025
In: Journal of Alzheimer's disease
Year: 2025, Jahrgang: 108, Heft: 4, Pages: 1894-1915
ISSN:1875-8908
DOI:10.1177/13872877251390842
Online-Zugang:Verlag, kostenfrei, Volltext: https://doi.org/10.1177/13872877251390842
Verlag, kostenfrei, Volltext: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/13872877251390842
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Verfasserangaben:Ioanna Antigoni Angelidou, Tarsitsa Ntova, Ege Karar, Marianna Tsatali and Birgit Teichmann
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Zusammenfassung:Background - Deaf individuals face barriers in accessing healthcare for dementia and Alzheimer's disease and are often overlooked in research. Deaf-friendly scales in German Sign Language (DGS) are urgently needed to ensure inclusive and equitable dementia care for Deaf individuals. - Objective - The aim of the study is the linguistic and cultural adaptation/validation of the Dementia Knowledge Assessment Scale (DKAS-D), the Dementia Attitude Scale (DAS-D), and the Confidence in Dementia Care Scale (CODE-D) into DGS. - Method - The three scales were adapted into DGS using a collaborative translation process involving Deaf and hearing bilingual signers. A convenience sample of 205 Deaf participants answered the DKAS-DGS and DAS-DGS; a subsample answered the CODE-DGS (n = 160) online via Google Forms or as a pencil-and-paper version in person. Psychometric validation included internal consistency, structural and construct validity. For the DKAS-DGS an item analysis was conducted. - Results - Internal consistency was acceptable to good for all scales. The removal of five items from the DKAS-DGS and four from the DAS-DGS led to improvements in structural validity for both. The CODE-DGS one-factor structure showed good model fit. Construct validity was confirmed, with participants with practical or professional experience with people living with dementia scoring higher on all scales. Item analysis of the DKAS-DGS revealed challenges in translation, as well as the need for accessible, tailored dementia education for the Deaf community. - Conclusions - The three scales are valuable tools for measuring dementia knowledge, attitudes, and confidence in care among DGS-signers and may be used in future research settings.
Beschreibung:Gesehen am 23.02.2026
Beschreibung:Online Resource
ISSN:1875-8908
DOI:10.1177/13872877251390842