The Attentional Function Index—a self‐report cognitive measure

Abstract

Objective: Cognitive assessment in individuals with cancer requires both measured performance on neuropsychological tests and self-report of effectiveness in functioning. Few instruments are available to assess the perceived impact of cognitive alterations on daily functioning in individuals treated for cancer. In this study, we investigated the psychometric properties of a theoretically based instrument, and the Attentional Function Index (AFI), designed to measure perceived effectiveness in common activities requiring attention and working memory, particularly the ability to formulate plans, carry out tasks, and function effectively in daily life.Methods: Women (N 5 172), ages 27-86 years, completed the questionnaire before primary treatment for early stage breast cancer. Construct validity was established using exploratory principal component factor analysis with varimax rotation.Results: A 13-item instrument emerged with 3 subscales, namely effective action, attentional lapses, and interpersonal effectiveness, which explained 74.69% of total variance. The internal consistency coefficients (Cronbach's a) were 0.92 for the total instrument, and ranged from 0.80 to 0.92 for the 3 subscales. Further examination of validity indicated that the scores on the AFI (1) showed expected correlations with established measures of ability to concentrate, cognitive failures, states of confusion, and mental fatigue, and (2) could distinguish differences in perceived cognitive functioning between younger and older age groups. AFI scores were not significantly associated with years of education or presence of comorbid conditions. Conclusion:The brief AFI has demonstrated usefulness for assessment of perceived cognitive functioning in populations with life-threatening and chronic illness, such as breast cancer.

Enhancing the well-being of veterans using extended group-based nature recreation experiences

“…Perceived stress was measured using a 4-item version of the Perceived Stress Scale [38], asking about the frequency of feeling unable to cope with general life stress ("never" to "very often"). Attentional functioning was assessed using a modified version of the Attentional Functioning Index [39], which is designed to measure perceived effectiveness in a variety of everyday activities that require self-regulation and executive control [40][41]. Participants were asked to rate how well they felt they had been functioning in nine of these areas ("not very well" to "extremely well").…”

Oversettelse og kulturell tilpasning av Attentional Function Index (AFI)

“…Pasientene skal gjennomføre et behandlingsforløp der de må forholde seg til flere ulike instanser innen helsevesenet (5). Det er grunnlag for å kunne hevde at kreftbehandling kan ha både kort-og langvarig negativ effekt på den kognitive funksjonen.…”

“…Eksekutive funksjoner er kognitive prosesser som gjør en person i stand til å generere ideer, initiere handlinger, tilpasse seg nye eller uvante situasjoner, sortere sanseinntrykk, konsentrere seg, vaere utholdende, vise kognitiv fleksibilitet, forholde seg til flere kognitive prosesser samtidig og undertrykke uønskete responser (8,9). AFI besto opprinnelig av 16 spørsmål (7, 10) og ble redusert til 13 spørsmål på bakgrunn av en faktoranalyse (5). Skjemaene er hovedsakelig brukt på pasienter med brystkreft (10-13), men også i utvalg med andre kreftdiagnoser (14,15).…”

“…Imidlertid hadde de bedre kognitiv fungering enn kvinner mellom 27 og 86 år med brystkreft (5). Siden utvalget i studien vår besto av personer over 60 år uten krav til kjent kreftdiagnose, kan det indikerer at oversettelsen av instrumentet fungerte bra.…”

Effect of β-glucan Supplementation on Levels of IgM, IgA, IgG and Its Subclasses IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, and IgG4 in Cancer Patients

“…In addition, it is known that some cytokines results in negative effects on cognitive functions [30] . Additional factors might be hormonal changes, particularly estrogen and testosterone, and attention fatigue [31] .…”