Validation of the 10-item Cervantes Scale in middle-aged Portuguese women: paper-and-pencil and online format assessment of menopause-related symptoms

Objective: The aim of the study was to validate the Portuguese language version of the 10-item Cervantes Scale (CS-10), a self-reporting instrument that assesses menopausal symptoms, and to compare the results (both symptom severity and multigroup invariance) of middle-aged women who completed the questionnaire in paper-and-pencil format (PPF) or in the online format (OF). Methods: A total of 292 women, aged 45 to 65 years, completed the questionnaires (PPF = 66; OF = 226). Construct (factorial and convergent) and external validity, as well as reliability and psychometric sensitivity were studied. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis was performed to compare PPF with OF, regarding the measure's invariance. Results: The CS-10 showed good psychometric properties (ie, factor and external validity), as well as good sensitivity and reliability. The association with the Utian Quality of Life Scale (UQoLS) was significant and positive, though weak. The measured structure was invariant when comparing both subsamples (PPF and OF), evidencing an equivalent structure in both. No differences in reported symptoms were observed between the two subgroups. Conclusions: The Portuguese language version of the CS-10 rendered data with good psychometric properties in a sample of middle-aged Portuguese women. Therefore, it can be used in both clinical and community settings. The weak association between both instruments (UQoLS and CS-10) might be due to the different conceptualization of the quality of life construct: the CS-10 focuses on symptom severity, whereas the UQoLS assesses domains such as work-related or health-related behaviors.

[1]  Luiza Barboza de Souza,et al.  Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) and the 10-item Cervantes Scale (CS-10): Comparisons in a sample of Brazilian women , 2017 .

[2]  O. Franco,et al.  Health in middle-aged and elderly women: A conceptual framework for healthy menopause. , 2015, Maturitas.

[3]  S. Crawford,et al.  Duration of menopausal vasomotor symptoms over the menopause transition. , 2015, JAMA internal medicine.

[4]  P. Chedraui,et al.  Application of the 10-item Cervantes Scale among mid-aged Ecuadorian women for the assessment of menopausal symptoms. , 2014, Maturitas.

[5]  J. Marôco,et al.  Qual a fiabilidade do alfa de Cronbach? Questões antigas e soluções modernas? , 2013 .

[6]  M. Dibonaventura,et al.  The impact of menopausal symptoms on quality of life, productivity, and economic outcomes. , 2013, Journal of women's health.

[7]  P. Chedraui,et al.  Assessment of menopause-related symptoms in mid-aged women with the 10-item Cervantes Scale. , 2013, Maturitas.

[8]  J. Marôco,et al.  Adaptation of the Utian Quality of Life Scale to Portuguese using a community sample of Portuguese women in premenopause, perimenopause, and postmenopause , 2013, Menopause.

[9]  E. Baum,et al.  Comparison of Web-Based and Paper-Based Administration of ADHD Questionnaires for Adults , 2013, Journal of medical Internet research.

[10]  P. Chedraui,et al.  Quality of life in a large cohort of mid-aged Colombian women assessed using the Cervantes Scale , 2012, Menopause.

[11]  J. Vasconcelos-Raposo,et al.  Factor structure and normative data of the Greene Climacteric Scale among postmenopausal Portuguese women. , 2012, Maturitas.

[12]  P. Sluss,et al.  Executive summary of the Stages of Reproductive Aging Workshop + 10: addressing the unfinished agenda of staging reproductive aging , 2012, Menopause.

[13]  P. Sluss,et al.  Executive summary of the Stages of Reproductive Aging Workshop + 10: addressing the unfinished agenda of staging reproductive aging. , 2012, The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism.

[14]  J. Marôco,et al.  Menopause Symptoms’ Severity Inventory (MSSI-38): assessing the frequency and intensity of symptoms , 2012, Climacteric : the journal of the International Menopause Society.

[15]  Hui Lin,et al.  Effects of reproductive history on symptoms of menopause: a brief report , 2011, Menopause.

[16]  Juliana Alvares Duarte Bonini Campos,et al.  Reliability and validity of self-reported burnout in college students: A cross randomized comparison of paper-and-pencil vs. online administration , 2011, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[17]  T. Fagulha,et al.  A Population-Based Assessment of Midlife Portuguese Women's Experience of Perimenopause and Menopause , 2011, Health care for women international.

[18]  T. Clausen,et al.  Cross-cultural adaptation of research instruments: language, setting, time and statistical considerations , 2010, BMC medical research methodology.

[19]  R. V. Clark,et al.  Menopause-specific questionnaire assessment in US population-based study shows negative impact on health-related quality of life. , 2009, Maturitas.

[20]  Ellen W Freeman,et al.  Symptoms Associated With Menopausal Transition and Reproductive Hormones in Midlife Women , 2007, Obstetrics and gynecology.

[21]  L. Dennerstein,et al.  A symptomatic approach to understanding women's health experiences: a cross-cultural comparison of women aged 20 to 70 years , 2007, Menopause.

[22]  M. Hunter,et al.  Bio-psycho-socio-cultural perspectives on menopause. , 2007, Best practice & research. Clinical obstetrics & gynaecology.

[23]  María I. Comeche,et al.  Psychological Assessment via the Internet: A Reliability and Validity Study of Online (vs Paper-and-Pencil) Versions of the General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) and the Symptoms Check-List-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) , 2007, Journal of medical Internet research.

[24]  Ching-Yu Cheng,et al.  The psychometric properties of Pen-and-Pencil and Internet versions of the Midlife Women's Symptom Index (MSI). , 2005, International journal of nursing studies.

[25]  M. Sammel,et al.  Psychometric properties of a menopausal symptom list , 2003, Menopause.

[26]  David C. Evans,et al.  In the Privacy of Their Own Homes: Using the Internet to Assess Racial Bias , 2003, Personality & social psychology bulletin.

[27]  M. Schluchter,et al.  The Utian Quality of Life (UQOL) Scale: development and validation of an instrument to quantify quality of life through and beyond menopause , 2002, Menopause.

[28]  J. Blümel,et al.  Quality of life after the menopause: a population study. , 2000, Maturitas.

[29]  I. Wiklund.  Methods of assessing the impact of climacteric complaints on quality of life. , 1998, Maturitas.

[30]  J. Greene.  Constructing a standard climacteric scale. , 1998, Maturitas.

[31]  Mary J. Naus,et al.  From paper to pixels: A comparison of paper and computer formats in psychological assessment , 2009, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[32]  A. Sperber.  Translation and validation of study instruments for cross-cultural research. , 2004, Gastroenterology.

[33]  Anthony G. Greenwald,et al.  E‐Research: Ethics, Security, Design, and Control in Psychological Research on the Internet , 2002 .