title: Neuropsychological assessment of organic solvent effects in South Africa: test selection, adaptation, scoring, and validation issues.
abstract: The neurobehavioral effects of organic solvent exposure were assessed in 68 South African workers in a paint manufacturing plant in which the maximum current combined solvent level in workplace air was 0.72 of the Threshold Limit Value. A 17-test battery was assembled from the WHO-NCTB, NES 2, and the University of South Africa Neuropsychological Assessment Procedure. Extensive modifications were made to some tests in the battery, using a guided learning rationale derived from the cross-cultural literature. In light of test correlations with demographic variables (age, education, and alcohol consumption), the construct and likely predictive validity of the tests in the battery are reviewed, and promising procedures identified. Finally, it is noted that in developing countries, the results of neuropsychological tests that have been well standardized in the West may be misleading unless the underlying validity issues that arise when a test developed in one culture is applied to another have been addressed.
authors.affiliation: Health Psychology Unit, University of South Africa, Pretoria.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Nell
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Myers
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Colvin
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rees
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000523:psychology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010150:Paint; D012997:Solvents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013019:South Africa
chemical_list: D012997:Solvents