Translation and validation of Chinese version of the Problems in Everyday Living (PEDL) test in patients with mild cognitive impairment

Background: Cognitive impairment places older adults at increased risk of functional decline, injuries, and hospitalization. Assessments to determine whether older persons are still capable of meeting the cognitive challenges of everyday living are crucial to ensure their safe and independent living in the community. The present study aims to translate and validate the Chinese version of the Problems in Everyday Living (PEDL) test for use in Chinese population with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Methods: The cultural relevancy and content validity of the Chinese version of PEDL (C-PEDL) was evaluated by a seven-member expert panel. Forty patients with MCI and 40 cognitively healthy participants were recruited to examine the psychometric properties of C-PEDL. Results: Significant differences in the C-PEDL scores were found between the patients with MCI and the cognitively healthy controls in both educated (F = 9.96, p = 0.003) and illiterate (F = 10.43, p = 0.004) populations. The C-PEDL had excellent test-retest and inter-rater reliabilities, with intraclass correlation coefficient at 0.95 and 0.99 respectively. The internal consistency of C-PEDL was acceptable with Chronbach’s α at 0.69. The C-PEDL had moderate correlation with the Mini-Mental State Examination (r = 0.45, p = 0.004) and the Category Verbal Fluency Test (r = 0.40, p = 0.012), and a moderate negative Spearman’s correlation with the Global Deteriorating Scale (r = –0.42, p = 0.007). Conclusions: The C-PEDL is a valid and reliable test for assessing the everyday problem-solving ability in Chinese older population with MCI