Statistical Validation in Cultural Adaptations of Cognitive Tests: A Multi- Regional Systematic Review (2504.13495v1)

Abstract: This systematic review discusses the methodological approaches and statistical confirmations of cross-cultural adaptations of cognitive evaluation tools used with different populations. The review considers six seminal studies on the methodology of cultural adaptation in Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. The results indicate that proper adaptations need holistic models with demographic changes, and education explained as much as 26.76% of the variance in MoCA-H scores. Cultural-linguistic factors explained 6.89% of the variance in European adaptations of MoCA-H; however, another study on adapted MMSE and BCSB among Brazilian Indigenous populations reported excellent diagnostic performance, with a sensitivity of 94.4% and specificity of 99.2%. There was 78.5% inter-rater agreement on the evaluation of cultural adaptation using the Manchester Translation Evaluation Checklist. A paramount message of the paper is that community feedback is necessary for culturally appropriate preparation, standardized translation protocols also must be included, along with robust statistical validation methodologies for developing cognitive assessment instruments. This review supplies evidence-based frameworks for the further adaptation of cognitive assessments in increasingly diverse global health settings.