Sex-, age- and education-adjusted norms for the WHO/UCLA version of the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test for Sinhala-speaking Sri Lankan adults

Abstract

Objective The aim of this study was to create sex-, age- and education-adjusted norms for the WHO/UCLA version of the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) for Sinhala-speaking Sri Lankan adults. Methods Five-hundred and sixty-one healthy, community-living adults (252 men), aged 19–83 years, and had 0–23 years of education completed the WHO/UCLA RAVLT in Sinhala language. We conducted multiple linear regression analyses with sex, age and years of education to predict RAVLT list A1–A5 individual trial scores; trials A1–A5 total learning; list B score; immediate and delayed recall and recognition trial scores; and retroactive interference. Results We report regression equations to predict RAVLT norms based on sex, age and years of education; and the test variances accounted by those variables. Accordingly, all measures, except retroactive interference had a significant age-related decline. All measures, except the recognition trial hits, significantly improved with more years of education. Women had significantly higher scores in all measures except in trial B and retroactive interference. Proactive interference, learning rate, learning over trials were not associated with sex, age or education. A confirmatory factor analysis loaded the RAVLT outcome measures into two factors: acquisition and retention. Conclusions We report sex-, age- and education-adjusted WHO/UCLA RAVLT norms for Sinhala-speaking Sri Lankans aged 19–83 years; and supplement the regression formulae with a calculator that produces predicted and standard scores for given test participant. These norms would help clinicians accurately interpret individual test results, accounting for the variability introduced by sex, age and education.