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Validation of a cognitive complaints questionnaire for young adults: the relation between subjective memory complaints, prefrontal symptoms and perceived stress

P. Lozoya-Delgado, J.M. Ruiz-Sánchez de León, E.J. Pedrero-Pérez [REV NEUROL 2012;54:137-150] PMID: 22278890 DOI: https://doi.org/10.33588/rn.5403.2011283

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Volumen 54 | Number 03 | Nº of views of the article 12.016 | Nº of PDF downloads 2.784 | Article publication date 01/02/2012

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ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION Although subjective memory complaints are one of the most common causes behind visits to health services, there are hardly any validated instruments in Spanish for evaluating their magnitude. Since memory complaint questionnaires usually include items referring to attentional and executive aspects, it has been hypothesised that they may well be related with other processes that depend on the integrity of the prefrontal cortex.

AIM The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of an instrument based on the Memory Failures in Everyday (MFE) questionnaire, thus providing a valuation over a broad sample of the Spanish population. A second aim of the study was to analyse the relations that exist between the appearance of the complaints, the symptoms of a prefrontal origin and perceived stress.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS The MFE-30 (a modified version of the MFE), the dysexecutive questionnaire and the perceived stress scale were administered to a sample of young adults from a non-clinical general population (n = 900).

RESULTS The analyses show that the MFE-30 is a single-factor questionnaire that evaluates a single construct called ‘cognitive complaints’. Moreover, an intense pattern of correlations among these complaints, the symptoms of a prefrontal origin and perceived stress is observed.

CONCLUSIONS The resulting scores show that the MFE-30 is a useful instrument in clinical practice. Findings are in line with those from previous studies, thus suggesting that there is a close relation among the appearance of cognitive complaints, the presence of prefrontal symptoms and perceived stress. KeywordsAttention DEX Dysexecutive syndrome Executive functions Frontal cortex Frontal lobes Memory Memory complaints Metamemory MFE Neuropsychology Screening CategoriesNeuropediatría Neuropsicología Neuropsiquiatría

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Original

Validation of a cognitive complaints questionnaire for young adults: the relation between subjective memory complaints, prefrontal symptoms and perceived stress