The Hand Test Withdrawal score was correlated with an independent criterion measure of general intactness, the Mental Status Questionnaire, for a sample of 57 “normal,” institutionalized, elderly (M age = 77.26 yr.) to establish the construct validity of the Withdrawal score for older adults. A Pearson r of .43 (p < .001) was obtained, suggesting that the Withdrawal score is a valid measure of mental status or general intactness for institutionalized older adults.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
CyrJ., & StonesM. J.Performance on cognitive tasks in predicting the behavioral competencies in the institutionalized elderly. Experimental Aging Research, 1977, 3, 253–264.
2.
EisdorferC., & CohenD.The cognitively impaired elderly: Differential diagnosis. In StorandtM.SieglerI. E., & EliasM. F. (Eds.), The clinical psychology of aging. New York: Plenum, 1978. Pp. 7–42.
3.
HyerstayB. J.The role of a psychologist in a nursing home. Professional Psychology, 1978, 10, 36–41.
4.
KahanaB.The use of projective techniques in personality assessment of the aged. In StorandtM.SieglerI. E., & EliasM. F. (Eds.), The clinical psychology of aging. New York: Plenum, 1978. Pp. 145–180.
5.
KahnR. L.GoldfarbA. I.PollackM., & PeckA.Brief objective measures for the determination of mental status in the aged. American Journal of Psychiatry, 1966, 117, 326–328.
6.
KahnR. L., & MillerN. E.Assessment of altered brain function in the aged. In StorandtM.SieglerI. E., & EliasM. F. (Eds.), The clinical psychology of aging. New York: Plenum, 1978. Pp. 43–69.
7.
KlopferW. G.The Rorschach and old age. Journal of Personality Assessment, 1974, 38, 420–422.
8.
LawtonM. P.The functional assessment of elderly people. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 1971, 19, 465–481.
9.
PanekP. E., & RushM. C.Intellectual and personality differences between community-living and institutionalized older adult females. Experimental Aging Research, 1979, 5, 239–250.
10.
PanekP. E.SternsH. L., & WagnerE. E.An exploratory investigation of the personality correlates of aging using the Hand Test. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1976, 43, 331–336.
11.
PanekP. E.WagnerE. E., & AvolioB. J.Differences in Hand Test responses of healthy females across the life-span. Journal of Personality Assessment, 1978, 42, 139–142.
12.
SchaieK. W., & SchaieJ. P.Clinical assessment and aging. In BirrenJ. E. & SchaieK. W. (Eds.), Handbook of the psychology of aging. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1977. Pp. 692–723.
13.
StonerS., & LundquistT.Test-retest reliability of the Hand Test with older adults. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1980, 50, 217–218.
14.
WagnerE. E.The Hand Test: Manual for administration, scoring, and interpretation. Los Angeles: Western Psychological Services, 1962.
15.
WagnerE. E.Diagnostic applications of the Hand Test. In WolmanB. B. (Ed.), Clinical diagnosis of mental disorders: A handbook. New York: Plenum, 1978. Pp. 393–443.
