Examining normative reference values and item-level symptom endorsement for the quality of life in neurological disorders (Neuro-QoL™) v2.0 Cognitive Function-Short Form

Abstract

Objective: We examined the normative reference values, item-level symptom endorsement, internal consistency reliability, and the base rates of symptoms endorsed for the quality of life in neurological disorders (Neuro-QoL™) v2.0 Cognitive Function-Short Form. Method: The Neuro-QoL™ v2.0 Cognitive Function-Short Form measures subjective cognitive difficulties. The normative sample from the U.S. general population was stratified by gender, education, health status, self-reported diagnosis of depression or anxiety, and recent mental health symptoms (i.e., endorsed frequent anxiety or depression symptoms in the last week). Results: A cohort of 1,009 adults completed this scale and their mean score was 32.60 (SD = 6.89). The base rates of those who reported zero cognitive symptoms were consistently higher among the healthy samples (healthy men = 79.2%; all men = 63.9%; healthy women = 90.2%; all women = 80.0%). Endorsing three or more cognitive symptoms was more common in the mental health subgroups for both men (full men's sample [n = 493] = 17.6%; depression subgroup [n = 70] = 30.0%; anxiety subgroup [n = 61] = 29.5%; mental subhealth group [n = 70] = 38.6%) and women (full women's sample [n = 516] = 7.4%; depression subgroup [n = 123] = 13.0%; anxiety subgroup [n = 103] = 12.6%; mental health subgroup [n = 101] = 14.9%). Internal consistency was measured using Cronbach's α and ranged from 0.87 to 0.94 across groups. Conclusions: The Neuro-QoL™ v2.0 Cognitive Function-Short Form is a brief, efficient, and reliable measure of perceived cognitive difficulties. As expected, individuals with a favorable overall health and quality of life reported less cognitive symptoms than the total sample, whereas individuals with mental health difficulties reported more. These normative values and base rates stratified by gender, overall health, and mental health status may be useful when interpreting this measure in clinical practice.