Convergence and equating norms between the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS), the MMSE and the MoCA in an Italian population sample

Background: This study aimed at testing the convergence and deriving equating norms between the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS) and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) in an Italian population sample. Methods: Four-hundred and eighty two healthy Italian native-speaker (300 females; age: 57.8 ± 15.5, range = 20–94; education: 13.1 ± 3.8, range = 5–25) underwent the TICS (range = 1–41), MMSE and MoCA. An additional Delayed Recall of the 10-word list was administered as the last task of the TICS to compute a further total (TICS&DR; range = 1–51). Convergence between the TICS/TICS&DR and in-person screeners was tested via Bonferroni-corrected Spearman’s coefficients, whilst equating norms were derived via a Log-linear Smoothing Equipercentile Equating (LSEE) approach. A two one-sided test (TOST) procedure was run to test the equivalence between empirical and LSEE-derived scores. Results: TICS scores converged with both MMSE (rs=0.34; p <.001) and MoCA scores (rs=0.42; p <.001)– the same being true for the TICS&DR (MMSE: rs=0.36; p <.001; MoCA: rs=0.42; p <.001). Cross-walks were estimated to derive TICS/TICS&DR scores from the MMSE/MoCA, and vice-versa. The algorithm could not compute the conversions for TICS, MMSE and MoCA scores < 22, <21 and < 14, respectively. TOST procedures revealed that all comparisons yielded equivalence except for those aimed at deriving TICS from MMSE scores and TICS&DR from both the MMSE and the MoCA. Discussion: The Italian TICS validly captures examinees’ cognitive efficiency as measured by MMSE or MoCA; derived cross-walks between the TICS and MMSE/MoCA allows for a flexible use of in-person and telephone-based screeners.