Activities of Daily Living Inventory (ADLI): Translation, adaptation, and preliminary psychometric properties in a sample of French older adults screening positive and negative for neurocognitive impairment

Activities of daily living (ADL) evaluation contributes to identifying support needs and detecting functional decline associated with neurocognitive impairment. This study aimed to translate and adapt the Activities of Daily Living Inventory (ADLI) for the French population and to examine its preliminary psychometric properties in older adults screening positive and negative for neurocognitive impairment. This study included 60 French-speaking older adults aged 60 years and over, divided into two equally sized groups of older adults screening positive and negative for neurocognitive impairment. The ADLI was translated and culturally adapted into French following the International Test Commission Guidelines. Participants completed a semi-structured interview, Montreal Cognitive Assessment, ADLI self-report version, Barthel Index, Lawton and Brody Scale, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Information on daily functioning was also obtained from an informant. The ADLI showed satisfactory acceptability, excellent internal consistency, convergent validity with widely used instruments evaluating ADL, divergent validity with depression subscale of HADS. Positive associations with neurocognitive performance supported the relationship between everyday functioning and neurocognitive functioning. This study supports the French version of the ADLI as a comprehensive multidimensional instrument for evaluating daily functioning in older adults. Further longitudinal studies considering factors such as sensory functioning, frailty, lifestyle, and social support are recommended.