Development of the Japanese version of the cognitive failure scale (the Short Inventory of Minor Lapses) for Japanese women involved in child care

Abstract

Objectives Child care involves mentally and physically intensive work. Women involved in child care are prone to various cognitive failures (e.g., forgetting to carry something or missing an appointment) because of being overburdened with child care activities and chores, constantly limited attention for coping with the frequent demands of children, and cognitive deterioration in the perinatal period. We conducted a survey of women caring for children aged 3 months to 6 years old, aiming to 1) develop a Japanese version of the cognitive failure scale (named the Short Inventory of Minor Lapses [SIML]), and 2) examine the psychometric properties of the scale (including factor structure, validity, reliability, and score distribution), and comparing the scale score according to job status, the youngest child's age, and the number of children.Methods We used data obtained through an internet research company from 310 women (aged 25-45 years; 155 full-time workers and 155 housewives), caring for children aged 3 months to 6 years old. We used the 15-item SIML with a five-point Likert-type scale. We also collected information about employment status, maternal age, the youngest child's age, the number of children, income, the status of using child-care services, sleep duration, fatigue, and neuroticism.Results The scale consisted of one factor. Cognitive failure was found to have the following correlations with memory complaints (polyserial correlation=0.66), sleep duration (r=-0.17), fatigue (r=0.32), and neuroticism (r=0.22). Cronbach's alpha for the scale was 0.94. A three-way analysis of variance (including main effects of working status, the youngest child's age, and the number of children) in cognitive failure revealed significant main effects of the youngest child's age (aged 0-3 years: mean (standard deviation [SD])=34.9 (11.5) point, > aged 4-6 years: mean (SD)=32.6 (10.5) point, partial η2=0.013), and the number of children (only one: mean (SD)=32.4 (11.3) points < two or more: mean (SD)=34.9 (10.9) points, and partial η2=0.014). A three-way analysis of covariance in cognitive failure adjusted for mother's age demonstrated a significant main effect of the youngest child's age (partial η2=0.014).Conclusion Our findings confirmed the psychometric properties of the Japanese version of SIML among women involved in child care (including factor structure, validity, reliability, and score distribution).