Neuropsychiatric Symptoms by Cognitive Status for Mexican-Americans Aged 85 and Older

Few studies have investigated the relationship between neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) and cognitive status among older Mexican-American adults. Our objective was to describe the NPS of Mexican-Americans 85 years and older according to cognitive status. Data came from Wave 9 (conducted in 2016) of the Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiological Study of the Elderly. The final sample consisted of 381 care recipients ≥85 years. The 12-item Neuropsychiatric Inventory was administered to measure NPS among care recipients. Cognitive impairment was defined as a score of ≤18 on the Mini Mental State Exam or by clinical diagnosis of dementia as reported by the caregiver. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the average marginal effect (range = –1 to 1) of cognitive impairment on NPS, controlling for care-recipient characteristics. Overall, 259 (68.0%) participants had one or more NPS. Approximately 87% of care recipients with cognitive impairment had at least one NPS compared to 55.8% of those without cognitive impairment (p < .01). The predicted probability of having one or more NPS was 0.25% points (95% CI = 0.14–0.35) higher for participants with cognitive impairment than those without. NPS are present in the majority of very old Mexican American adults, particularly in those with cognitive impairment.