Although a normative process, changes in cognitive functioning vary among older
adults. The differential diagnosis between normal and pathological aging must be
made early using psychometrically adequate measures.ObjectivesTo assess the evidence of criterion validity of a Short Form (SF) of the
Wechsler-III Scale containing eight subtests (SF8) by determining its
sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values and
cut-off points for Brazilian elderly from different age groups.Methods168 individuals, aged 60 years or above, living in the community or in an
institution, were assigned to case and control groups, and investigated
according to age range. Measures included a sociodemographic questionnaire,
the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Verbal Fluency Test, Clock-Drawing
Test and the SF8.ResultsMore than two thirds of the sample was women (73.8%), mean age was 74.5 years
(SD=8.9), mean education was 6.2 years (SD=4.8) and 40.5% were
widows/widowers. In the total sample, the best cut-off point for the SF8 was
142 while cut offs among individuals aged 60 to 69 years, 70 to 79 years,
and more than 80 years were 160, 129 and 129, respectively.ConclusionsThe results demonstrated the importance of different cut-off points for
different age ranges. Sensitivity and specificity values of the SF8 were
sufficiently high to warrant the use of the SF8 as an instrument to identify
cognitive impairment in the elderly.