Abstract
Objectives: Responding to racial/ethnic disparities in dementia diagnosis and care, we examined the role of race/ethnicity in the correspondence between subjective and objective ratings of cognitive impairment. Our examination focused on the two types of discordance: (1) positive ratings in the presence of cognitive impairment and (2) negative ratings in the absence of cognitive impairment. Design and Participants: A cross-sectional assessment was conducted using the data from the Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol project, a sub-study of the Health and Retirement Study. Our analytic sample included 3,096 participants: 2,257 non-Hispanic Whites, 498 Blacks, and 341 Hispanics. Measurements: Discordant groups were identified based on self-ratings of cognition (positive versus negative) and the Langa–Weir classification of cognitive impairment (normal versus impaired). Results: Blacks and Hispanics were more prone to falsely positive perceptions of their cognitive function in the presence of cognitive impairment than non-Hispanic Whites. On the other hand, non-Hispanic Whites were more likely to manifest negative ratings even in the absence of cognitive impairment. Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate the critical role of race/ethnicity in determining discordance between subjective and objective measures of cognition and highlight the importance of a tailored effort to promote dementia diagnosis and care.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 627-635 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry |
Volume | 30 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2021 American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry
Keywords
- Self-rated cognition
- cognitive impairment
- dementia
- racial and ethnic minorities