Effects of Sociodemographic and Health Variables on Mini-Mental State Exam Scores in Older Australians

Many sociodemographic variables and the presence of a mood disorder influence MMSE performance. Using conventional cutoff scores for screening will lead to a high rate of false positives in older adults (75+ years), those with NESB, and those with low SES, and is insensitive for those with high education. The authors suggest simple rules for the correction of the impact of these variables.