Investigation of the Psychometric Properties of the Turkish Form of Subjective Memory Complaints Questionnaire

Abstract

Introduction: Amnestic type of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is characterized by the presence of subjective memory complaints and impairment of memory tests. This study aims to investigate the validity and reliability of the Turkish Version of the Subjective Memory Complaints Questionnaire (SMCQ).

Materials and Method: The study sample consisted of 45 MCI patients and 44 healthy elderly controls. The SMCQ is a 14-item, "yes-no" questionnaire which evaluates the severity of subjective memory complaints. The discriminant validity of SMCQ was evaluated by comparing the scores of the two groups. For concurrent validity, the correlations between SMCQ and two widely-used cognitive screening tests (MMSE and ADAS-Cog) were calculated. ROC analysis was performed to test the diagnostic validity. For reliability analysis, internal consistency was calculated.

Results: SMCQ scores of the patients were higher than the controls. SMCQ scores of the subjects were positively correlated with ADAS-Cog and negatively correlated with MMSE scores. Cronbach's value was 0.83. ROC analysis yielded a sensitivity of 80% and a specificity of 66% (cut-off=4.5). Area under the curve was 0.843.

Conclusion: SMCQ is a valid and reliable instrument that can be used for the assessment of SMC in elderly patients. However, community based studies should be carried out for suggesting SMCQ as a screening tool.