Theory-of-mind abilities in older patients with common mental disorders - a cross-sectional study

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.

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.

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.

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