B - 57 An Analysis of the Activities of Daily Living Questionnaire (ADLQ): Is Executive Dysfunction Associated with Functional Decline?

Abstract

The ADLQ measures the ability to perform basic and instrumental activities of daily living (ADLs). Several factors, including cognition, may play a role in someone's ability to perform ADLs. The purpose of this study was to understand how executive functioning (EF) impacts abilities measured by the ADLQ. Data were retrospectively collected from a mixed sample of patients with cognitive impairment (MCI: 29; dementia: 34) who underwent neuropsychological evaluation at a private practice in the Portland, Oregon area (n = 63, mean age = 76.65, mean education = 14.92years). Patients with a history of moderate-to-severe TBI or severe psychiatric history were excluded. Six ADLQ scales and measures of EF (phonemic fluency, DKEFS Tower, Trails B, Stroop Interference) were analyzed using nonparametric Spearman's rank correlations. A p-level of 0.01 was used to reduce likelihood of type I errors. There was a negative correlation between phonemic fluency and both self-care (ρ= -0.485, p = 0.002) and shopping (ρ= -0.474, p = 0.003). There was a negative correlation between travel and performance on both Trails B (ρ= -0.490, p = 0.009) and Stroop Interference (ρ= -0.634, p = 0.000). For the above EF tests, worse performance was associated with more impairment in the associated ADLs. Other correlations were not significant. Performance on certain EF tests is associated with impairment in the domains of self-care, shopping, and travel. Executive dysfunction appears related to functional decline on the ADLQ, but further analysis using larger samples is warranted to better understand this relationship.