Category Fluency Test: Normative data for English- and Spanish-speaking elderly

2000 ◽  
Vol 6 (7) ◽  
pp. 760-769 ◽  
Author(s):  
AMARILIS ACEVEDO ◽  
DAVID A. LOEWENSTEIN ◽  
WARREN W. BARKER ◽  
DYLAN G. HARWOOD ◽  
CHERYL LUIS ◽  
...  

Category fluency tasks are an important component of neuropsychological assessment, especially when evaluating for dementia syndromes. The growth in the number of Spanish-speaking elderly in the United States has increased the need for appropriate neuropsychological measures and normative data for this population. This study provides norms for English and Spanish speakers, over the age of 50, on 3 frequently used measures of category fluency: animals, vegetables, and fruits. In addition, it examines the impact of age, education, gender, language, and depressed mood on total fluency scores and on scores on each of these fluency measures. A sample of 702 cognitively intact elderly, 424 English speakers, and 278 Spanish speakers, participated in the study. Normative data are provided stratified by language, age, education, and gender. Results evidence that regardless of the primary language of the examinee, age, education, and gender are the strongest predictors of total category fluency scores, with gender being the best predictor of performance after adjusting for age and education. English and Spanish speakers obtained similar scores on animal and fruit fluency, but English speakers generated more vegetable exemplars than Spanish speakers. Results also indicate that different fluency measures are affected by various factors to different degrees. (JINS, 2000, 6, 760–769.)

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 366-366
Author(s):  
Joohong Min ◽  
Jieun Song

Abstract Prior research has found that the risk of cognitive decline increases after the death of a spouse. In general, the impact of life transitions is contingent on contextual factors such as socio-demographic characteristics or relationship quality. However, there is limited research on how marital quality before spousal loss and gender influence the association between spousal loss and cognitive change. The current study examines the effects of spousal loss on change in cognitive functioning as well as the moderating effects of pre-loss marital quality and gender. Data from two waves of the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study were analyzed (MIDUS2: 2004-05, MIDUS3: 2013-14). The analytic sample consists of two groups: (1) 179 bereaved adults who were age 54 or older at MIDUS2 (M = 65.2, SD = 9.5) and whose spouses died between MIDUS2 and MIDUS3, and (2) 179 non-bereaved adults, matched with the bereaved group on age and gender, who did not experience spousal loss between the two waves. Cognitive function was assessed via BTACT (Brief Telephone Adult Cognition Test) at both waves. Regression results show that both pre-loss marital quality and gender significantly moderate the association between spousal loss and change in cognitive functioning. Specifically, relative to their counterparts, men and those who reported better marital relationships prior to spousal death had a greater risk of cognitive decline after a spouse’s death. The findings suggest the significance of pre-loss marital quality and gender for cognitive changes in widowhood and have implications for the development of efficient interventions


2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Harris ◽  
Stefan Th. Gries

In this study, we address various measures that have been employed to distinguish between syllable and stress- timed languages. This study differs from all previous ones by (i) exploring and comparing multiple metrics within a quantitative and multifactorial perspective and by (ii) also documenting the impact of corpus-based word frequency. We begin with the basic distinctions of speech rhythms, dealing with the differences between syllable-timed languages and stress-timed languages and several methods that have been used to attempt to distinguish between the two. We then describe how these metrics were used in the current study comparing the speech rhythms of Mexican Spanish speakers and bilingual English/Spanish speakers (speakers born to Mexican parents in California). More specifically, we evaluate how well various metrics of vowel duration variability as well as the so far understudied factor of corpus-based frequency allow to classify speakers as monolingual or bilingual. A binary logistic regression identifies several main effects and interactions. Most importantly, our results call the utility of a particular rhythm metric, the PVI, into question and indicate that corpus data in the form of lemma frequencies interact with two metrics of durational variability, suggesting that durational variability metrics should ideally be studied in conjunction with corpus-based frequency data.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-141
Author(s):  
John A. Sauceda ◽  
Edda I. Santiago-Rodriguez ◽  
Gaspar Zaragoza ◽  
Catherine E. Rivas ◽  
Luz Venegas ◽  
...  

There is evidence for a relationship between housing instability and transactional sex among transgender women. However, less is known about this relationship among monolingual Spanish-speaking transgender women. We compared Spanish- and English-speaking transgender women for differences in ever reporting transactional sex, and if perceived housing stability moderated these differences. Using a cross-sectional design, we surveyed 186 Spanish- and English-speaking transgender women in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the San Francisco Bay Area, California. All variables in this study were from a brief demographic questionnaire in a larger parent study. Using a multivariate regression model for moderation, we tested whether the odds for reporting transactional sex were different between English and Spanish speakers, and whether housing stability moderated these odds. Overall, Spanish and English speakers reporting similar percentages of transactional sex (52.3–53.8%) and similar scores on the housing stability measure. In the moderation regression model, Spanish speakers had 7.9 times the adjusted odds of transaction sex, versus English speakers, but housing stability moderated the probability of transactional sex in the form of a crossover interaction. That is, lesser housing stability was associated with a higher probability of reporting transactional sex among Spanish speakers, yet greater housing stability was also associated with lower probability of reporting transactional sex. Housing stability evidenced both a risk and protective role for Spanish-speaking transgender women, which highlight the importance of this basic health need.


Author(s):  
Nicole St. Germaine-McDaniel

As health-information websites become more popular, healthcare corporations have worked quickly to create Spanish-language sites to reach the Spanish-speaking population. However, changes have to be made in order to effectively adapt to the Spanish-speaking audience. In order to be successful, site designers must create a sense of community by having interactive elements and by advertising these sites through radio or television with well-known celebrities or known figures in the healthcare realm. Further, care must be taken to ensure that the information in these sites is culturally appropriate for this audience. The successful health information website can be a strong tool for educating both Spanish and English speakers alike about preventative care, as well as treatment options, which in turn can improve health outcomes.


2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 1259-1259
Author(s):  
L Kamalyan ◽  
M A Hussain ◽  
M M Diaz ◽  
A Umlauf ◽  
D R Franklin ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective Latinos in the US are at increased risk for HIV-associated neurocognitive impairment (NCI). Yet, most studies in this group have included English-speakers only. We investigated the rate and pattern of HIV-associated NCI in Spanish-speaking Latinos from the US-Mexico border region by utilizing newly developed norms for this group, and compared it to previously published norms for English-speaking non-Latino Whites and Blacks/African Americans. Participants and Method Participants included 153 HIV+ Spanish-speaking Latinos (Age: M = 38.2, SD = 9.7; Education: M = 10.9, SD = 3.6; 27% female; 56% AIDS) living in the greater San Diego area. Participants completed comprehensive neuropsychological, neuromedical and psychiatric assessments in Spanish. The neuropsychological test battery employed in this study - and used extensively in prior studies of HIV- assesses seven ability domains. Raw test scores were converted to demographically-adjusted T-scores using regional norms for Spanish-speakers, and for non-Latino Whites and Blacks. NCI was defined per established criteria. Results Rate of global NCI was 39% using norms for Spanish-speaking Latinos, compared to 64% with White norms and 18% with Black norms. Using norms for Spanish speakers, domain specific NCI among those impaired was highest in executive function (68%), speed of information processing (65%), learning (51%), and working memory (50%). The pattern of HIV associated NCI varied when norms developed for non-Latino Whites and Blacks were used. Conclusions HIV+ Spanish speakers showed similar rates of global NCI to those in other HIV+ populations, when norms developed for this group were used. In contrast, use of non-Latino White and Black norms resulted in misclassification of impairment. The pattern of NCI differed based on the norms used. Present findings highlight the importance of utilizing norms developed for Spanish-speakers in the US in order to obtain more precise and valid depictions of cognition in this population.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 3574 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mar Llorente-Marrón ◽  
Montserrat Díaz-Fernández ◽  
Paz Méndez-Rodríguez ◽  
Rosario González Arias

The study of vulnerability constitutes a central axis in research work on sustainability. Social vulnerability (SV) analyzes differences in human capacity to prepare, respond and recover from the impact of a natural hazard. Although disasters threaten all the people who suffer from them, they do not affect all members of society in the same way. Social and economic inequalities make certain groups more vulnerable. Factors such as age, sex, social class and ethnic identity increase vulnerability to a natural disaster. Ten years after the earthquake in Haiti in 2010, this work deepens the relationship between natural disasters, SV and gender, exploring the unequal distribution of the SV in the face of a seismic risk. The source of statistical information has been obtained from the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), developed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Multicriteria decision techniques (TOPSIS) and the differences in differences (DID) technique are used to analyze variations in gender inequality in SV as a result of the catastrophic event. The results obtained reinforce the idea of the negative impact of the disaster on the SV. Additionally, an intensification of the negative effects is observed when the household is headed by a woman, increasing the gap in SV between households headed by women and the rest of the households. The conclusions obtained show additional evidence of the negative effects caused by natural disasters on women, and important implications for disaster risk management are derived that should not be ignored.


2019 ◽  
Vol 123 (3) ◽  
pp. 929-951
Author(s):  
Francesca Prina ◽  
Julie N. Schatz-Stevens

This study explores the influence of education and religiosity on sexist attitudes towards women and rape myth acceptance in two samples totaling 399 participants from the United States and Italy. Both samples completed a demographic questionnaire that assessed age, area of residence, and racial and gender identification. Three questions about religiosity and three about education were included, as well as the Attitudes Towards Women Survey and the Acceptance of Modern Myths about Sexual Aggression. In the Italian pool, 44 held at least a bachelor’s degree, 108 had completed some college, and 29 completed high school at most, while the United States pool consisted of 83, 123, and 12, respectively. Average self-reported levels of religiousness were M = 3.87 (SD = 3.05) in Italy and M = 5.10 (SD = 2.76) in the United States. In both samples, religiosity was a strong predictor of both sexism and rape myth acceptance, while education was only related to rape myth acceptance and with less strength than religiosity. Moreover, country of residence was an important influence for sexist beliefs along with both religiosity and education; however, for rape myth acceptance, country did not have a significant impact.


2002 ◽  
Vol 96 (3) ◽  
pp. 630-630
Author(s):  
Glenn Perusek

For more than a generation, as the authors rightly point out, the impact of organized labor on electoral politics has been neglected in scholarly literature. Indeed, only a tiny minority of social scientists explicitly focuses on organized labor in the United States. Although the impact of the social movements of the 1960s appeared to heighten awareness of the importance of class, race, and gender, class and its organized expression, the union movement, has received less attention, while studies of race and gender have flourished.


Author(s):  
Phil Tiemeyer

The impact of LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) issues on U.S. foreign relations is an understudied area, and only a handful of historians have addressed these issues in articles and books. Encounters with unexpected and condemnable (to European eyes) sexual behaviors and gender comportment arose from the first European forays into North America. As such, subduing heterodox sexual and gender expression has always been part of the colonizing endeavor in the so-called New World, tied in with the mission of civilizing and Christianizing the indigenous peoples that was so central to the forging of the United States and pressing its territorial expansion across the continent. These same impulses accompanied the further U.S. accumulation of territory across the Pacific and the Caribbean in the late 19th century, and they persisted even longer and further afield in its citizens’ missionary endeavors across the globe. During the 20th century, as the state’s foreign policy apparatus grew in size and scope, so too did the notions of homosexuality and transgender identity solidify as widely recognizable identity categories in the United States. Thus, it is during the 20th and 21st centuries, with ever greater intensity as the decades progressed, that one finds important influences of homosexuality and gender diversity on U.S. foreign policy: in immigration policies dating back to the late 19th century, in the Lavender Scare that plagued the State Department during the Truman and Eisenhower presidencies, in more contemporary battles between religious conservatives and queer rights activists that have at times been exported to other countries, and in the increasing intersections of LGBTQ rights issues and the War on Terror that has been waged primarily in the Middle East since September 11, 2001.


Author(s):  
Ruth Milkman

The author's groundbreaking research in women's labor history has contributed important perspectives on work and unionism in the United States. This book presents four decades of the author's essential writings, tracing the parallel evolutions of her ideas and the field she helped define. The book's introduction frames a career-spanning scholarly project: the interrogation of historical and contemporary intersections of class and gender inequalities in the workplace, and the efforts to challenge those inequalities. Early chapters focus on the author's pioneering work on women's labor during the Great Depression and the World War II years. The book's second half turns to the past fifty years, a period that saw a dramatic decline in gender inequality even as growing class imbalances created greater-than-ever class disparity among women. The book concludes with a previously unpublished essay comparing the impact of the Great Depression and the Great Recession on women workers.


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