Abstract

Objectives

Theory-of-mind (ToM) abilities are a basic competence for social interactions and relationships. Numerous findings demonstrate ToM deficits in old age, but such findings are missing in clinical samples of older adults.

Method

In the present study, patients treated in two clinics for common mental disorders (N = 150, distributed among the age groups 40–54, 55–69 and ≥70) were compared with a sample of people of the same age without mental disorders. The Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) was used, in which the task is to detect mental states in the eyes, which are presented in 36 pictures.

Results

The two groups differed significantly from each other: the clinical samples achieved worse results than the nonclinical samples, and the older samples achieved worse results than the younger samples. In the multiple regression analysis significant beta-weights were found for executive functions, physical diseases (especially vascular diseases, in the clinical sample) and higher education.

Conclusion

Older patients show clinically significant deficits in ToM abilities, which should be taken into account in interventions promoting ToM abilities.

中文翻译：

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老年常见精神障碍患者的心理理论能力——一项横断面研究

摘要

目标

心理理论（ToM）能力是社会互动和关系的基本能力。许多研究结果表明老年人的 ToM 缺陷，但在老年人的临床样本中缺少此类发现。

方法

在本研究中，将在两个诊所接受治疗的常见精神障碍患者（N  = 150，分布在 40-54、55-69 和 ≥70 岁年龄组）与没有精神障碍的同龄人样本进行比较。使用了眼中读心测试(RMET)，其任务是检测眼睛中的心理状态，这些状态在 36 张图片中呈现。

结果

两组彼此之间存在显着差异：临床样本的结果比非临床样本差，年龄较大的样本比年轻样本的结果差。在多元回归分析中，发现执行功能、身体疾病（尤其是临床样本中的血管疾病）和高等教育具有显着的 β 权重。

结论

老年患者在 ToM 能力方面表现出明显的临床缺陷，在促进 ToM 能力的干预措施中应考虑到这一点。