ABSTRACT
An instrument, that validly and reliably identifies and measures agitation is required to evaluate environmental modifications, interpersonal strategies, psychopharmacological interventions, directed toward managing these commonly occurring and highly-disabling emotions and behavior. The conceptualization of agitation on a continuum from anxiety to aggression provides a practical framework for guiding clinical practice toward the early identification and intervention of agitation. The results of this study established the reliability and validity of the Overt Agitation Severity Scale (OASS) in measuring agitation severity in young adult psychiatric inpatients based on objectifiable vocalizations and motoric upper and lower body behaviors. The OASS differs from other agitation scales in its ability to capture both the intensity and frequency of observable behavioral manifestations of agitation, as opposed to subjective interpretations and a diffuse range of symptoms and problem behaviors.
Subject(s)
Neurologic Examination/statistics & numerical data , Psychomotor Agitation/diagnosis , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Aggression/psychology , Female , Humans , Male , Mental Disorders/classification , Mental Disorders/diagnosis , Mental Disorders/drug therapy , Middle Aged , Motor Activity , Patient Admission , Psychometrics , Psychomotor Agitation/classification , Psychomotor Agitation/drug therapy , Psychotropic Drugs/therapeutic use , Reproducibility of Results , Verbal BehaviorABSTRACT
Two studies tested the reliability and validity of the Overt Agitation Severity Scale (OASS), a new instrument developed to define and objectively rate the severity of agitated behavior. The authors postulate that agitation should be conceptualized as vocal and motor behaviors on a continuum of expressions that extends from anxiety to aggression. Content validity through expert agreement was achieved in the development of test construction over a 2-year period. Results of two pilot studies (n = 25 and n = 14 subjects) established the reliability and validity of the OASS to measure agitation severity. The OASS differs from other agitation scales in that it confines its rating exclusively to observable behavioral manifestations of agitation.
