Psychometric evaluation of performance in diabetes mellitus.

Two-hundred and fourteen diabetics and 343 controls were studied using a psychological test battery (LPSU-KOLN). Out of these samples, 147 pairs matched for age, sex, and level of education were selected. Diabetics were classified as juvenile onset diabetics (JOD, n = 112) and maturity onset diabetics (MOD, n = 35). The performance was evaluated in four dimensions: Factor I: speed of reaction; Factor II: memory-concentration; Factor III: visual perception; and Factor IV: quality of performance. The data were statistically analyzed using a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). The speed of reaction of both types of diabetics was significantly lower than of that of controls. The abilities in memory-concentration tasks were also decreased in diabetics in general, particularly in MOD. The visual perception and the quality of performance of diabetics were not different from their controls.