Multidomain self-report assessment of fronto-executive complaints in Spanish-speaking adults.

Abstract

The assessment of subjective cognitive complaints (e.g., lack of initiative, difficulty for planning, attentional and memory impairment, disinhibition, etc.) that impair daily life functioning and psychopathological risk, requires integrative psychometrics. The creation of culturally relevant instruments is one of the challenges of Hispanic neuropsychology because tools developed in Latin America are scarce. Thus, the objective was to investigate the Executive Complaints Questionnaire (ECQ) psychometric properties, which is proposed herein as an appropriate multidomain instrument to assess executive functions in Spanish speakers (N ϭ 672) from Argentina (i.e., one of the most populated Hispanic countries). They were randomly divided into 2 groups (N ϭ 336) to evaluate construct validity through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. The total variance depended on 3 factors: Executive Attention (23%), Behavioral Flexibility (20%), and Inhibitory Control (13%). This structure was further verified through confirmatory factor analysis and provided an adequate model. Reliability processes (i.e., Cronbach's alpha, composite reliability, and interitem correlations) indicated that the ECQ was reliable. Divergent validity was achieved and no effects of age, gender, and educational level were found. In conclusion, the ECQ is a reliable and structurally valid instrument. This is the first study that employed a self-reporting questionnaire of executive complaints that was originated in the Spanish-speaking population by integrating different fronto-executive domains. This kind of study provides the methodological approach to promote new questionnaire development and standardization of the already-existing ones to be precisely dedicated for non-English-speaking populations, who do not possess valid instruments in their native languages.

Public Sector Workers’ Mental Health in Argentina: Comparative Psychometrics of the Perceived Stress Scale

“…Subjective executive complaints are associated with poor fronto-executive performance, and are influenced by psychological stress [5,18]. Thus, these results are indicative of the concurrent validity of PSS-10.…”

“…For EFA, data were analyzed using oblimin-rotated factor analysis (i.e., principal component analysis). The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) test and the Bartlett test of sphericity (BTS) were applied to verify data adjustment [18]. Components were retained based on the criterion of an eigenvalue of 1.0 and the examination of a scree plot.…”

“…The CFA was performed in the second split sample, using maximum-likelihood structural equation modeling techniques. Goodness-of-fit indices were calculated for both PSS versions Bayesian information criterion [18]. Modification indices, which show additional relationships by pairing error terms, were used to improve the goodness of fit [25].…”

“…Finally, reliability and validity were assessed. The Cronbach α was calculated for the overall scale and for the subscales identified, with acceptable values ranging from 0.60 to 0.95 [18].…”

“…These top-down mental processes include inhibition and interference control, working memory, cognitive flexibility, and correction of behavior based on environmental feedback [38]. Thus, the neurological, physiological, and psychological mechanisms through which stress is related to executive functions have become the focus of increasing interest [5,18]. The decision to choose between unidimensional or bidimensional structures should depend on the empirical questions of the researchers [39].…”