Dementia and psychopathology among individuals with mental retardation

The relationship between dementia and symptoms of mental was examined in 98 adults with mild and moderate mental retardation. Participants ranging in age from 40 to 84 years of age were administered the Early Signs of Dementia Checklist (ESDC) and the Assessment of Dual Diagnosis (ADD). Data were also collected on IQ, adaptive age, and presence or absence of seizure disorder. Correlational analyses were performed to determine relationships between scores on the ESDC, the ADD, chronological age (CA) and adaptive age (AA). Statistically significant positive relationships were found between scores on the ESDC and the depression scale of the ADD, and between scores on the ESDC and CA. A statistically significant negative relationship was found between scores on the ESDC and AA. A Multiple regression was performed to determine the degree of variance explained in predicting the presence or absence of dementia by the factors for which positive relationships were found. CA was found to account for 22% of the variance. AA, when combined with CA, increased R2 from 0.25 to 0.27, but decreased adjusted R2 from 0.22 to 0.21. The combination of CA, AA, and the depression score from the ADD was found to account for 36% of the variance. The implications of these findings for practitioners who work with individuals with mental retardation will be discussed