How we compensate for memory loss in old age: Adapting and validating the Memory Compensation Questionnaire (MCQ) for Spanish populations

• Published in: Archives of gerontology and geriatrics 2013-01, Vol.56 (1), p.32-37
• Main Authors: Meléndez, Juan Carlos, Mayordomo, Teresa, Sales, Alicia, Cantero, María José, Viguer, Paz
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptation, Psychological; Adaptations; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Amnesia; Compensation; Elderly; Elderly people; Factor Analysis, Statistical; Female; Humans; Internal Medicine; Male; Memory; Memory Disorders - diagnosis; Memory Disorders - psychology; Psychological Tests - standards; Reproducibility of Results; Spain; Structural equation model; Surveys and Questionnaires - standards; Validation; Validity
• ISSN: 0167-4943; 1872-6976
• DOI: 10.1016/j.archger.2012.06.018

Abstract Compensating entails using external strategies and mechanisms that help overcome or alleviate the decreasing memory function that comes with age. This study aims to adapt and validate the MCQ in the elderly Spanish population. A total of 403 elderly people aged between 65 and 92 in the city of Valencia (Spain) completed the questionnaire for the validation process. The factorial validity of the scale was tested using confirmatory factor analysis. The result showed a first order five-factor model with 23 items that met the criteria for model fit according to multiple fit indices. As a general conclusion, the adaptation into Spanish provided a reliable and valid measure of compensation in the elderly population, and it could potentially be useful in both clinical practice and research in the elderly.