Validity evidence for the Cognitive Screening Test in Stroke Patients

Abstract Cognitive deficits are common among post-stroke patients. Cognitive impairments of this sort are mediated by age and education. In Brazil, the only specific cognitive screening tool designed for post-stroke patients is the Cognitive Screening Test (Triagem Cognitiva - TRIACOG). The goal of this study was to investigate validity evidence related to external variables for the TRIACOG. Our sample included 153 adults and elderly people (M = 60.08, SD = 9.61) from Porto Alegre and metropolitan area, comprising 87 post-stroke patients and 66 healthy individuals. Three-way ANOVAs were used to assess main effects and interactions between the variables group (clinical/control), age and education. An influence of group and age on scores in the TRIACOG was found. We emphasize the relevance of these results to the selection of cut-off points for the tasks and cognitive functions assessed by the instrument, considering education and age, so as to allow more accurate identification of deficits in post-stroke patients.

摘要 卒中后患者普遍存在认知缺陷。此类认知障碍由年龄与教育程度所介导。在巴西，唯一一款专为卒中后患者开发的特异性认知筛查工具为认知筛查测试（Triagem Cognitiva - TRIACOG）。本研究旨在探究TRIACOG与外部变量相关的效度证据。本研究的样本来自阿雷格里港及其都会区，共纳入153名成年人与老年人（平均年龄M=60.08，标准差SD=9.61），其中包括87名卒中后患者与66名健康对照个体。本研究采用三因素方差分析（Three-way ANOVA）评估组别（临床组/对照组）、年龄与教育程度各变量的主效应及交互效应。结果显示，组别与年龄对TRIACOG的测试得分存在显著影响。我们强调，本研究结果对于结合年龄与教育程度确定该工具所评估的各项任务与认知功能的截断值具有重要意义，从而能够更精准地识别卒中后患者的认知缺陷。