Effects of demographic factors and mental status on wechsler memory scale performance in a geriatric clinic sample

A sample of 114 geriatric clinic patients over the age of 64 were referred by primary-care physicians secondary to memory complaints. All patients were administered the Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS) and the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE). Hierarchical multiple-regression analyses using WMS total raw score as the dependent measure and age, education, and MMSE raw scores as predictors were conducted for the entire sample as well as for high-scoring and low-scoring MMSE groups within the sample. Age failed to predict a significant amount of WMS total score variance in any of the groups studied. General mental status (as measured by MMSE) was a significant predictor across all the groups. Education was a statistically significant predictor in the entire sample and in the low-scoring MMSE group. Reasons for the observed patterns are discussed as they pertain to this special patient sample.