Performance of Cognitively Normal African Americans on the RBANS in Community Dwelling Older Adults

Recent research suggests that cognitively normal African Americans are more likely to be misdiagnosed as impaired compared to Caucasians due to lower neuropsychological test scores (e.g., Manly et al., 1998). Given this, the present study sought to determine whether such racial discrepancies exist o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical neuropsychologist 2003-11, Vol.17 (4), p.515-530
Main Authors: Patton, Doyle E., Duff, Kevin, Schoenberg, Mike R., Mold, James, Scott, James G., Adams, Russell L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
African Americans
Age Factors
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Case-Control Studies
Cognition - physiology
Cross-Cultural Comparison
Demography
Female
Geriatric Assessment
Humans
Language
Male
Neuropsychological Tests
Reproducibility of Results
Residence Characteristics
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Summary:Recent research suggests that cognitively normal African Americans are more likely to be misdiagnosed as impaired compared to Caucasians due to lower neuropsychological test scores (e.g., Manly et al., 1998). Given this, the present study sought to determine whether such racial discrepancies exist on the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS). Performances of 50 cognitively normal older African Americans on the RBANS were compared to those of 50 Caucasians matched on age, education, and gender. The African Americans scored significantly lower on 10 of 12 subtests, 3 of 5 Index scores, and the Total Scale score. Results underscored the utility of demographically appropriate norms when serving minority clients. Given that there remains a paucity of normative data for minority groups, RBANS normative data for older African Americans are provided. Although preliminary, it is hoped that data presented will offer the practitioner assistance with clinical diagnosis and decision-making in a manner that will help minimize diagnostic errors.
ISSN:1385-4046
1744-4144
DOI:10.1076/clin.17.4.515.27948