Development of an essential tremor embarrassment assessment

作者：Traub Rebecca E; Gerbin Marina; Mullaney Mary M; Louis Elan D^*

来源：Parkinsonism & Related Disorders, 2010, 16(10): 661-665.

DOI：10.1016/j.parkreldis.2010.08.017

• Essential tremor
• Clinical
• Embarrassment
• Assessment
• Epidemiology

Introduction: Embarrassment is commonly reported in essential tremor (ET) patients yet there is no formal tool to assess embarrassment in ET. Our aim was to develop such a tool and to assess its clinimetric properties. A quantitative measure of embarrassment could be used to assess response to treatment in clinical practice and clinical trials.
Methods: Based on surveys of international tremor experts and ET patients, we constructed the Essential Tremor Embarrassment Assessment (ETEA), a brief, easily administered, 14-item self-assessment scale. The ETEA was assessed for validity, reliability and other clinimetric properties in 75 ET patients.
Results: Forty-seven tremor experts from eight countries were surveyed. On average, they estimated that 75% of their patients experienced embarrassment, yet there was very little agreement (range = 10-95%). Among ET patients, three-quarters (77.3%) reported at least occasional embarrassment due to their tremor and one-third (36.4%) reported daily embarrassment. ETEA scores correlated with a tremor disability questionnaire score (p = 0.02 and p = 0.01) and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale scores (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001). Test-retest reliability was high (p < 0.001). Factor analysis identified four factors, explaining 62.4% of the variance. For the major factors (I and II), high internal consistency was found (Cronbach's alpha = 0.85 and 0.74).
Conclusion: Embarrassment is commonly experienced by ET patients. The ETEA is a reliable and valid tool to measure embarrassment in patients with this disease.

• 出版日期2010-12