Clinical Manifestations.

Area of Science:

• Neuropsychology
• Psychometrics
• Sociolinguistics

Background:

• Cognitive performance is influenced by linguistic and acculturation variables.
• Accurate cognitive assessment of older adults from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds requires tailored measures.
• Existing measures may not adequately capture these variables in an Australian context.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a new measure, the Characterising Language Experience and Acculturation Questionnaire (CLEAr-Q).
• To determine the underlying factor structure of linguistic and acculturation variables in an Australian CALD sample.
• To inform the development of improved cognitive assessment tools for CALD populations.

Main Methods:

• Development of the CLEAr-Q using an adapted participatory research framework with CALD community consultation.
• Administration of an online, anonymous survey comprising 31 items.
• Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) with oblique rotation (geomin) to identify the factor structure.

Main Results:

• The validation sample comprised 256 participants (aged 60-93) born outside Australia with a Language Other Than English (LOTE).
• EFA revealed a robust four-factor solution: Educational Exposure to English, English Proficiency and Identification with Majority Culture, Dominance of English Language and Culture, and Language Switching.
• This four-factor model explained 58.9% of the variance and demonstrated good fit to the data (CFI=0.98, SRMR=0.07).

Conclusions:

• The CLEAr-Q effectively characterizes linguistic and acculturation diversity within an Australian CALD sample.
• The identified factor structure highlights the interconnectedness of linguistic and acculturation variables.
• This comprehensive tool is essential for understanding the impact of cultural and linguistic diversity on cognitive assessment, potentially improving diagnostic accuracy for dementia and cognitive impairment in older CALD adults.