The Short-Form Memory Impact Questionnaire: Development and Validation Among Community-Dwelling Middle-Aged and Older Adults

Background and Objectives As they age, many people experience memory changes that can impact their everyday functioning. The Memory Impact Questionnaire (MIQ) is a 51-item measure that assesses the negative impact of memory changes on one’s lifestyle activities, negative appraisals of the self due to memory changes, perceived negative appraisals from others due to memory changes, and coping approaches intended to compensate for memory changes. To improve the utility of this tool, we developed a short form version of the MIQ and investigated its psychometric properties. Research Design and Methods First, we established a 27-item version of the MIQ based on re-analysis of a previously collected sample of 205 adults (Mage = 71.8, SDage = 8.7) using a newly developed statistical tool for shortening existing measures (the Optimization App for Selecting Item Subsets). Next, we examined the psychometric properties of the short-form MIQ among an independent sample of 673 middle-aged and older adults (Mage = 73.1, SDage = 7.6). Results Our results revealed strong convergent (|rs| = 0.40-0.81) and discriminant validity (|r| = 0.19), test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.91), and internal consistency (α=0.88) of the short-form MIQ. Factor structure and model fit were investigated and confirmed via exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Robust measurement invariance was demonstrated across gender, age and level of education. Discussion and Implications Our findings demonstrate that the shortened MIQ retains the psychometric properties of the original scale while decreasing questionnaire length by ∼50%, thus improving its utility in both clinical and research settings.