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This study aimed to verify the psychometric properties of the Dysexecutive Questionnaire (DEX) through exploratory factor analysis (EFA), evidence of reliability, and convergent validity, in a sample of neurologically preserved older adults. Participants were 345 older adults who answered, in addition to DEX, a sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and two verbal fluency tasks. The EFA was conducted through Parallel Analysis based on the generation of a polychoric correlation matrix, as well as Pearson’s correlation between the DEX scores, age, education, MMSE, and verbal fluency tasks. According to the EFA, the extraction of two factors (“Inhibition” and “Social Regulation and Planning”) was suggested and DEX was negatively associated with age and MMSE. In conclusion, DEX presented a satisfactory factorial structure for older adults, which can be considered a reliable self-report measure for complaints of executive functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Brazil, the number of validated and recognized scientific instruments for clinical evaluation of elderly persons is limited. The Older Adult Self-Report (OASR) is a psychopathological rating scale for persons with more than 60 years, which evaluates adaptive functioning and psychopathology. The aim of this study was at investigating OASR construct and criterion validity evidence for Brazilian elderly. The sample included 345 individuals, between 60 and 94 years of age, which were recruited by convenience. Participants responded to a questionnaire containing questions about demographic and health information, the Mini Mental State Examination, the Geriatric Depression Scale short version and the OASR. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation and discriminant analysis. The results showed significant associations between the scores of OASR's subscales, correlating with general cognitive ability and depressive symptoms. Furthermore, OASR was sensitive to identity elderly with significant symptoms of depression. In conclusion, the OASR showed adequate evidence of construct and criterion validity for a sample of Brazilian elderly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to establish normative data for the Brazilian elderly population in the Logical Memory (LM) subtest of the Wechsler Memory Scale, revised version (WMS-R) and investigate the ability of scores in this subtest (immediate and delayed recall) to discriminate the elderly with and without depressive symptoms. The sample consisted of 334 elderly participants. Participants answered a sociodemographic and health questionnaire, the MMSE, the GDS-15, and the LM subtest. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, Student's t test, multiple linear regression, univariate analysis, and discriminant analysis. Age, education, and depressive symptoms significantly influenced all the scores of LM. Normative data were available according to three age groups, three levels of education, sex, and presence or absence of depressive symptoms. Results are in agreement with the literature, demonstrating the importance of establishing reference standards in accordance with sociodemographic and cultural characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cognitive Reserve (CR) construct seeks to explain the brain's ability of compensate for degeneration caused by age or neuropathology. However, standardized measures of CR are incipient. Through a systematic review, this study aimed to investigate the instruments in the form of scales and questionnaires used as objective measures of CR, through the measurement of multiple variables related to activities conducted throughout the lifetime. The search for articles was conducted in the PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, PsyclNFO, VHL and Cochrane databases. Seven studies were selected after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The existence of five scales/questionnaires that measure CR was verified. The instruments present a short duration, however, they vary in the items/variables measured, there being a lack of in-depth studies with large and diversified samples. Further studies are needed to improve the validity evidence and to conduct cross-cultural adaptations of the CR scale/questionnaires. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]