Context: Post-stroke depression (PSD) affects about 60 % of aphasic patients during the first year after their stroke. However, there are only a few screening instruments of the PSD suited to this population and available in French. The SADQ-10, a hetero-questionnaire, is one of the most acceptable instruments for patients with aphasia but was developed in English.
Objective: This study aims to provide ambulatory health professionals with a screening tool for PSD adapted to aphasic patients. The purpose is to find out if the french version of the SADQ-10 (SADQ-A10) allows a reliable and valid screening of depression in stroke patients with aphasia.
Method and patients: This longitudinal study was conducted with Speech-Language Pathologists (SLP), in view of their close contact with aphasic patients. Each SLP had to complete the SADQ-A10 in regards to her patient(s) twice and the ADRS (the gold standard in this study) once. The correlations between the results of 23 study subjects were assessed.
Results: The french adaptation of the SADQ-10 demonstrated good test-retest reliability (rs = 0.91, p < 0.0001) and a correct internal consistency (α = 0,77) that could be improved. Its validity was also demonstrated (rs = 0.73, p < 0.0001).
Conclusion: This study provides elements supporting the validity and the reliability of the SADQ-A10. Still, it needs to be replicated in a larger and more representative sample of the target-population. The SADQ-A10 could then be used by health professionals and be the first instrument currently available in French, screening the presence of depression in ambulatory stroke patients with aphasia.