Further evidence for the reliability and validity of the Massachusetts General Hospital Cognitive and Physical Functioning Questionnaire (CPFQ).

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The Massachusetts General Hospital Cognitive and Physical Functioning Questionnaire (CPFQ) was developed to assess clinically relevant cognitive and physical symptoms associated with depression that are not adequately assessed by traditional measures. Although the CPFQ has been shown previously to be a reliable and valid measure, the purpose of the present study was to provide additional evidence using larger samples from 4 independent clinical trials that were designed to test the efficacy and safety of different antidepressants. METHODS: The psychometric analyses were based on data from 4 independent clinical trials that were designed to test the safety and efficacy of different antidepressants. Reliability of the items and of the overall questionnaire was evaluated with principal components analysis, whereas validity was assessed by associations of the questionnaire scores with convergent and divergent external criteria. RESULTS: Overall, the results have replicated previous findings that the CPFQ has good internal reliability. Validation also is strengthened by the demonstration of predictive differences among known groups as well as a sensitivity to change with antidepressant treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Results support the use of the CPFQ as a valuable instrument for the detection of clinically relevant symptoms that are not captured by typical measures of depression used for the assessment of treatment outcomes.