Factorial structure of the French version of the Cohen-Mansfield agitation inventory

The Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI) evaluates the frequency of 29 difficult behaviors over a two-weeks period. The psychometric properties of the French version of the CMAI are known but the factorial structure of this instrument in residents of long-term care facilities remains to be confirmed. The French version of the CMAI was completed for 373 adults (114 men and 259 women) aged 60 years or older and residing in long-term care facilities. The results of a confirmatory factor analysis assessing the overall fit of a three-factors model reveal a poor fit to the data. The results of an exploratory factor analysis support a three-factors solution (physically aggressive agitation, verbal agitation, and physically nonaggressive agitation) explaining 43.8% of the variance. This solution is similar to those identified in previous studies conducted with the same population and different versions of the CMAI. The implications of these results are discussed. C) 2007 Elsevier Masson SAS. Tons droits reserves.