Accuracy of the Test of Memory Malingering in First Generation Spanish-Speaking Latinos

Abstract

Objective The Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM) is among the most widely used performance validity tests (PVTs) in neuropsychology. Despite abundant support documenting its sensitivity and specificity in the detection of invalid performance, most research has occurred among English-speaking, North-American samples. Studies conducted with Spanish-speaking samples in Latin America found associations between education and TOMM performance, though more mixed results in the United States with Hispanic/Latino samples have emerged due to the challenges that bilingualism, acculturation, and heterogeneity of the population pose to an already challenging area of measurement. Due to the pivotal role that PVTs play in clinical diagnoses and legal cases, it is critical that studies begin to broaden their scope and examine their variables cross-culturally. This study investigated the effects of age, education, and cognitive impairment on TOMM Trial 2 performance in a first-generation, monolingual Spanish speaking, Latino sample. Participants and Method The sample consisted of 26 first-generation Latino adults, 14 women and 12 men, Mean age = 57.11 (SD = 11.99); Mean education = 7.69 years (SD = 4.14), who underwent outpatient neuropsychological evaluation that included administration of the TOMM. 4 with invalid performances were excluded. Of the remaining 26, 9 were cognitively intact and 17 met criteria for a neurocognitive disorder. Results A combined linear regression analysis showed that age, education, and cognitive impairment status did not account for a significant portion of the variance in TOMM Trial 2 scores (R2 = 1.70; p = .283). Similarly, analysis of variance (ANOVA) found no significant differences between impaired (M = 46.68; SD = 5.78) and unimpaired (M = 46.50; SD = 6.09) patients (p = .942). Conclusions Results suggested that age, level of education, or cognitive impairment do not have a significant effect on TOMM Trial 2 performance in a sample of first-generation Latinos.