An adapted version of the Three Words Three Shapes Test (3W3S) to old Brazilian adults

Abstract

Background An adapted version of the Three Words Three Shapes Test (3W3S) is conducted for old Brazilian adults. This study describes the translation, back‐translation, and pilot study of 3W3S‐Br senior Brazilian adults' adaptation process. Method The 3W3S administration and scoring procedures were translated to Brazilian Portuguese by three independent translators. Concomitantly, a panel of specialists selected 18 abstract, regular nouns with the same amount of letters of the original format. The selected words must have had medium to high frequency in Brazilian Portuguese. They should also relate semantically and phonetically to the original ones. A final version was established and back‐translated. The 3W3S‐Br was then applied to 24 participants, divided into two groups, according to forms, of 12 members each (Form A (FA) and Form B (FB)). Inclusion criteria were age between 60‐80 years in the absence of depression, cognitive and functional impairment. The 3W3S‐Br has 5 conditions: 1) Copy (C); 2) Incidental Recall (IR); 3) Learning Trials total (LT), presented in three attempts; 4) Delayed Recall (DR); 5) Recognition (R). Correlations were verified by Pearson coefficient and differences between groups were compared by the Mann‐Whitney test. The analysis was performed by SPSS 28.0 or Windows. Result There were no significant associations between age (mean: 67±5), education (11±5), and sex(42%female) in all conditions of this instrument (p<0,05). Significant positive associations were demonstrated between MMSE and 3W3S‐Br in C (r = 0,481), LT (r = 0,455), DR (r = 0,407), R (r = 0,773). The comparison between alternate forms did not reveal differences in the 5 conditions of the test (p < 0,05). The groups also did not show significant differences between age, education, gender, and occurence of COVID‐19 infection. Conclusion Age, education, and sex did not correlate with 3W3S‐Br, whereas MEEM demonstrated correlations in most of its conditions. Alternate forms did not differ in this group of old Brazilian adults. The first steps of the adaptation process were completed and led to evidence of its clinical utility, granting further investigations. Further studies will be conducted to test psychometric properties and finalize the adaptation process.