Scoping review protocol: Psychometric evidence of instruments for assessing mental health in older adults from Latin America and the Caribbean

This scoping review aims to systematically identify, summarize, and evaluate the psychometric properties of mental health assessment tools used with adults aged 60 years and older in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Valid and reliable instruments are essential for geriatric care; however, evidence supporting an instrument’s validity in one context does not guarantee applicability across diverse cultural and linguistic populations. The review addresses the question: What is the evidence on reliability, validity, and diagnostic accuracy of instruments assessing mental health in older adults in LAC? Following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines and Arksey and O’Malley’s five-step framework, we will conduct a systematic search across eight databases (including PubMed, SciELO, and PsycINFO) for studies published between 1990 and 2024. Data will be mapped by country, mental health domain (e.g., cognition, depression, anxiety), and type of psychometric analysis. Findings will be evaluated considering internal structure, relations to other variables, and reliability to determine clinical applicability. Expected Outcomes: Identification of geographic and thematic gaps in psychometric evidence across LAC. Evaluation of the sufficiency of current validation practices, highlighting over-reliance on single-metric analyses. Development of a charting data and decision-support guide for clinicians to select context-sensitive tools validated in specific LAC countries. This protocol will provide a foundation for improving the assessment and care of mental health in older adults across the region and support future research and collaborative initiatives.