%0 Journal Article
%@ 2561-7605
%I JMIR Publications
%V 4
%N 1
%P e26340
%T A New Tool for Detecting COVID-19 Psychological Burden Among Postacute and Long-term Care Residents (Mood-5 Scale): Observational Study
%A Mansbach,William E
%A Mace,Ryan A
%A Tanner,Melissa A
%+ Mansbach Health Tools, LLC, PO Box 307, Simpsonville, MD, 21150, United States, 1 4438967409, wmansbach@thebcat.com
%K nursing homes
%K long-term care
%K COVID-19
%K depression
%K stress
%K coping
%K burden
%K mental health
%K elderly
%K older adults
%K risk
%K telehealth
%K self-assessment
%K scale
%K mood
%D 2021
%7 10.3.2021
%9 Original Paper
%J JMIR Aging
%G English
%X Background: Older adults are at high risk for developing serious somatic and psychological symptoms associated with COVID-19. Currently available instruments may not be sensitive to the concerns about COVID-19 in postacute and long-term care and their applications in telehealth remain to be clarified. Objective: We investigated the psychometric properties of the Mood-5 Scale (M5) as a rapid self-assessment of the COVID-19 psychological burden among postacute and long-term care residents. Methods: Residents (N=131), aged 50 years and above, from 20 postacute and long-term care facilities in Maryland, USA, were evaluated in-person or via telehealth (43/131, 32.8%) across a 4-week period (May 11 to June 5, 2020) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 psychological burden experienced by the residents was rated by geriatric psychologists who independently reviewed their clinical documentation. Psychometric analyses were performed on the M5 in relation to psychological tests, COVID-19 psychological burden, and diagnostic data collected during the evaluation. Results: The M5 demonstrated acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach α=.77). M5 scores were not confounded by demographic variables or telehealth administration (P>.08). Convergent validity for the M5 was established via positive associations with anxiety (r=0.56, P<.001) and depressive (r=0.49, P<.001) symptoms. An M5 cutoff score of 3 demonstrated strong sensitivity (0.92) and adequate specificity (0.75) for identifying COVID-19 psychological distress among postacute and long-term care residents (area under the curve of 0.89, positive predictive value=0.79, negative predictive value=0.91). Conclusions: The M5 is a reliable and valid tool for self-assessment of mood that can help identify postacute and long-term care residents with significant psychological burden associated with COVID-19. It can be completed in less than 1 minute and is appropriate for use in both in-person and virtual visits. 
%M 33640866
%R 10.2196/26340
%U https://aging.jmir.org/2021/1/e26340
%U https://doi.org/10.2196/26340
%U http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33640866