Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of Pfeiffer’s Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire (SPMSQ) for brazilians older adults

Abstract

Objective

Culturally adapt Pfeiffer’s Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire (SPMSQ) for use in Brazil.

Methods

The process involved the following phases: initial translation; synthesis of translations; back-translation; review by a committee of experts in the field to analyze the apparent and content validity, considering the semantic, idiomatic, cultural, conceptual and clarity equivalences and, finally, a pre-test with the target population.

Results

In the initial translation and in the back-translation, there were disagreements between the translators, in items 19 and 7 respectively, which were later discussed and reconciled by the committee. The expert committee suggested changes from the layout to adjustments to technical terms to facilitate the applicability of professionals and to make the final instrument clearer and more understandable to the target population. In the pre-test, 36.6% of those evaluated showed difficulties in understanding an item in the questionnaire; the item was replaced, the scale was reapplied obtaining 100% understanding.

Conclusion

The study demonstrated that the Brazilian version of the SPMSQ established as a Brief Cognitive Capacity Scale was cross-culturally adapted, with its items considered clear and understandable by specialists and the target population. The adapted instrument contributes because it is a brief assessment tool available to track the cognitive ability of old people. The analysis of psychometric properties is recommended, establishing the degree of validity and reliability, which is already under development by the authors of this study.

Keywords
Translating; Cross-Cultural Comparison; Health of the Elderly; Mental Status and Dementia Tests; Cognitive Aging; Cross-Cultural Studies