| Popis: |
Objective To examine Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) performance and frequency of low scores among veterans with primary diagnoses of cognitive disorder, psychiatric disorder, or no disorder. Method A clinic-referred sample of veterans (n = 214; Mage = 66.1, SD = 15; Medu = 13.3, SD = 2.7) diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI; n = 97), dementia (n = 47), depression (n = 18), PTSD (n = 22), or no cognitive or psychiatric disorder (n = 30) were included. All participants were administered the MoCA as part of a larger battery of tests. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), controlling for age and education, was conducted (Bonferroni correction applied) to compare diagnostic groups on MoCA uncorrected total score. Results Across groups, mean MoCA scores were significantly different using ANCOVA, F(4, 207) = 31.5, p < .001. As expected, those with no diagnosis (M = 24.7, SD = 2.1) or psychiatric disorders (PTSD M = 24.4, SD = 4.1; Depression M = 23.9, SD = 3) scored higher than those with cognitive disorder (MCI M = 21.7, SD = 3.1; Dementia M = 17.4, SD = 4.1), p < .001. While both psychiatric groups scored higher than those with dementia (p < .001), the depression group did not significantly differ from those with MCI (p = .11). Examination of scores across all groups revealed a majority of participants scored below the recommended cutoff of < 26. Specifically, 100% of dementia cases, 89.7% of MCI cases, 63.3% of no diagnosis cases, 50% of PTSD cases, and 72.2% of depression cases scored < 26. Conclusion Abnormal MoCA scores are common, even in the absence of cognitive impairment. Individuals with PTSD or depression are likely to score below the publisher's recommend cutoff. While this may reflect cognitive symptoms of psychiatric conditions, it may also reflect normative limitations as identified in past studies. |
