Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Title
Age and Ageing
Volume
53
Issue
7
PubMed ID
38972330
Publisher
Oxford Academic
School
School of Medical and Health Sciences / School of Arts and Humanities
Funders
National Health and Medical Research Council / Edith Cowan University / Dementia Australia Research Foundation / McCusker Charitable Foundation / Alzheimer’s Research Australia / Hollywood Private Hospital / Charlies Foundation Western Australia
Grant Number
324100, G1001512-2014
Abstract
Background: Subjective cognitive decline (SCD), i.e. self/other-reported concerns on one’s cognitive functioning without objective evidence of significant decline, is an indicator of dementia risk. There is little consensus on reliability and validity of the available SCD measures. Therefore, introducing a novel and psychometrically sound measure of SCD is timely. Objective: The psychometric properties of a new SCD measure, the McCusker Subjective Cognitive Impairment Inventory–Self-Report (McSCI-S), are reported. Methods: Through review of previously published measures as well as our clinical and research data on people with SCD, we developed a 46-item self-report questionnaire to assess concerns on six cognitive domains, namely, memory, language, orientation, attention and concentration, visuoconstruction abilities and executive function. The McSCI-S was examined in a cohort of 526 participants using factor analysis, item response theory analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Results: A unidimensional model provided acceptable fit (CFI = 0.94, TLI = 0.94, RMSEA [90% CI] = 0.052 [.049, 0.055], WRMR = 1.45). The McSCI-S internal consistency was excellent (.96). A cut-off score of ≥24 is proposed to identify participants with SCDs. Higher McSCI-S scores were associated with poorer general cognition, episodic verbal memory, executive function and greater memory complaints and depressive scores (P <.001), controlling for age, sex and education. Conclusions: Excellent reliability and construct validity suggest the McSCI-S estimates SCDs with acceptable accuracy while capturing self-reported concerns for various cognitive domains. The psychometric analysis indicated that this measure can be used in cohort studies as well as on individual, clinical settings to assess SCDs.
DOI
10.1093/ageing/afae138
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Comments
Sohrabi, H. R., Gavett, B. E., Weinborn, M., Speelman, C. P., Bucks, R. S., & Martins, R. N. (2024). The McCusker subjective cognitive impairment inventory (McSCI): A novel measure of perceived cognitive decline. Age and Ageing, 53(7). https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afae138