Self-administered cognitive screening for a study of successful aging among community-dwelling seniors: a preliminary study
✍ Scribed by David J. Moore; David Sitzer; Colin A. Depp; Lori P. Montross; Jennifer Reichstadt; Barry D. Lebowitz; Dilip V. Jeste
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 2007
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 86 KB
- Volume
- 22
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0885-6230
- DOI
- 10.1002/gps.1677
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✦ Synopsis
Abstract
Background
Cognitive functioning is a central component of successful aging. Yet, there are few published instruments for brief and reliable self‐administered cognitive assessment that could be used in large population‐based studies of community‐dwelling elderly people.
Objective
We examined the utility of a self‐administered cognitive screening instrument in a group of community‐dwelling older adults, and we evaluated correlations of the performance on this measure with demographic variables and specific indicators of self‐rated successful aging.
Method
We assessed 182 well‐educated adults ages 58 to 99 with a modified version of a previously published cognitive screening instrument (Cognitive Assessment Screening Test—Revised; CAST‐R), a measure of cognitive complaints (Cognitive Failures Questionnaire; CFQ), and a self‐rating of successful aging. We used the SF‐36 Physical and Mental Composite Scores as measures of physical and mental health‐related functioning.
Results
As expected, most individuals performed well on the CAST‐R; only 7% of participants fell below a previously established cut score for cognitive impairment. CAST–R scores were positively correlated with level of education, income, SF‐36 Mental Composite Scores, and a self‐rating of successful aging, and negatively correlated with chronological age. Scores on the CAST‐R were not correlated with cognitive complaints (CFQ total score) or SF‐36 Physical Composite Scores.
Conclusions
A self‐administered cognitive screening tool may be a useful, albeit limited, way of screening for cognitive disabilities among well‐educated, community‐dwelling older adults. Although preliminary, significant associations with several successful aging‐related variables in expected directions represent the first step in establishing the validity of the CAST‐R. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.