Measuring Adolescent Attitudes towards dementia: The validation of the Brief A-ADS

The A-ADS is one the first validated measures of attitudes of dementia in adolescents, though further validation is needed. 630 adolescents were recruited from secondary schools in England. A Principal Component Analysis was completed (n=230) followed by a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (n=400). Reducing the A-ADS into a single factor, 13-item measure (Brief A-ADS) improved the model fit of the measure (χ2 =182.75, DF=65, CMIN/DF= 2.81, p<0.001, CFI=0.90, RMSEA = 0.07). The scale demonstrated good internal consistency, good predictive and concurrent validity. Building on the validation of the A- ADS, the Brief A-ADS is suitable to capture attitudes towards dementia amongst adolescents.