Cross‐cultural properties of the Cross‐cultural Dementia Screening test and the European Cross‐Cultural Neuropsychological Test Battery

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundCross‐cultural neuropsychological tests are essential to avoid potential cultural biases during the performance and score interpretation in diverse populations. We aimed to compare the performance of healthy controls in the Cross‐cultural Dementia Screening test and the European Cross‐Cultural Neuropsychological Test Battery in the majority and minority populations living in Spain.MethodThree hundred cognitively healthy participants were enrolled (58% women, age range 18‐90). One hundred from majority population (Spaniards), one hundred from minority population from Colombia, and one hundred from different minority populations, including participants from Latin America (66%, excluding participants from Colombia), Spaniards of Romani (gipsy) ethnicity (14%), Arab League (10%), and East Europe (10%). We matched the three groups controlling for sex, age, and level of education. All scores on CCD and CNTB were compared and correlated with an acculturation scale, controlling for age and years of education.ResultThere were no differences between groups in most of the items. Only processing speed measures of the CCD (Sun‐Moon test) and verbal fluency tasks of the CNBT showed statistically significant differences between groups. Scores on the acculturation scale were not associated with the neuropsychological test performance of all participants.ConclusionThe absence of differences between groups or acculturation influence on the scores supports the favourable cross‐cultural properties of the CCD and the CNTB. However, some tasks could still be more influenced, especially those associated with processing speed and verbal fluency, which suggests the need to further study and develop new tests and paradigms with better cross‐cultural properties.