Background
The Subjective Memory Complaint Scale (SMCS-15) is a 15-item instrument to explore frequent forgetfulness in daily life in people with possible cognitive impairment. However, knowledge about its psychometric performance is limited.
Objective
To know the dimensionality and internal consistency of the SMCS-15 in Colombian older adults.
Methods
A probabilistic sample of 1,957 older adults from the general Colombian population was taken, aged between 60 and 98 years (mean = 71.0 ± 7.9), and 62.2% were women. Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega) and dimensionality (exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis) were calculated for the original and ten-item versions.
Results
The 15-item version showed Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega of 0.91 and one dimension that accounted for 45.3% of the variance. A version of ten items showed Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega of 0.89 and a single factor that explained 50.9% of the variance with better indicators in the confirmatory factor analysis. Convergence with the shortened Mini-Mental State Examination was rs=0.43 (p < 0.001), and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment test was rs=0.38 (p < 0.001). The nomological validity with the geriatric depression scale was rs=0.44 (p < 0.001), and women scored higher than men (p < 0.001).
Conclusions
The SMCS-15 shows high internal consistency with poor dimensionality. However, a ten-item version shows high internal consistency and a clear one-dimensional structure. More research is needed.