Validation of the Italian version of the In-Person Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (IP-TICS)

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychometrics
• Gerontology

Background:

• Cognitive screening is crucial for early detection of cognitive impairment.
• Validated tools are needed for diverse linguistic and cultural contexts.
• The Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS) is a widely used cognitive screening tool.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the Italian version of the In-Person Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (IP-TICS).
• To assess the construct validity and psychometric properties of the IP-TICS in a healthy Italian population.
• To establish the equivalence and invariance between the IP-TICS and the original TICS.

Main Methods:

• 468 healthy Italian adults completed the IP-TICS, TICS, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).
• Correlational analyses examined construct validity.
• Hierarchical Confirmatory Factor Analyses tested invariance between TICS and IP-TICS.
• Statistical equivalence was assessed using a two one-sided test (TOST) procedure.

Main Results:

• The IP-TICS demonstrated strong convergence with the TICS, MMSE, and MoCA.
• Configural and metric invariance were established between the TICS and IP-TICS.
• Statistical equivalence was confirmed between the TICS and IP-TICS, as well as between empirical and derived scores.

Conclusions:

• The Italian IP-TICS is a valid and reliable cognitive screening tool.
• The IP-TICS shows strong psychometric properties and equivalence to the TICS.
• Findings support the use of the IP-TICS for cognitive assessment in Italian-speaking populations.