NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL PREDICTORS OF ADAPTIVE KITCHEN BEHAVIOR IN GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY INPATIENTS

This study examined the degree to which demographic variables, psychia tric diagnosis, depression rating, and neuropsychological test perform ance predict adaptive kitchen behavior in geriatric psychiatry patient s and normal elderly volunteers. A mixed group of 27 participants incl uding 8 normal volunteers and 19 geriatric psychiatry inpatients under went psychiatric evaluation, neuropsychological. testing, and a kitche n skills assessment conducted in a natural setting. Both depression an d dementia were prevalent among patients. The kitchen skills assessmen t was abnormal in 69% of patients, compared to none of the normal volu nteers. Estimated premorbid IQs, psychiatric diagnosis, and neuropsych ological test scores significantly predicted the pass/fail status on t he kitchen skills assessment, but there was no effect for age, educati on, gender, or depression. The discriminant function analysis classifi ed 92% of cases, and the canonical correlation coefficient was .84. Of the neuropsychological tests employed in the study, two tests involvi ng visuospatial processing and attention were retained in the discrimi nant function analysis. The results are consistent with previous studi es that suggest that visuospatial tasks are more predictive of instrum ental activities of daily living than are cognitive tasks emphasizing verbal and memory abilities. In addition, we conclude that neuropsycho logical test data are useful and valid for the purpose of guiding clin ical judgments regarding activities of daily living in geriatric psych iatry patients.