Does the positive association between social relationships and cognition continue until very old age?

IF 3.7 2区 社会学 Q1 GERONTOLOGY
Selina Vogel, Andrés Oliva Y Hausmann, Susanne Zank
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

In current research, social relationships are increasingly recognized for their positive associations with cognitive outcomes in older adults. One of the most vulnerable groups for cognitive decline are very old adults (80+ years). However, they are relatively underrepresented in the field. Therefore, our study aimed to test if social relationships remain a protective factor against cognitive decline in very old age, using a representative sample from the Study of Quality of Life and Well-Being in North-Rhine Westphalia (NRW80+ Study). We hypothesized that social characteristics would be positively associated with global cognition and episodic memory cross-sectionally and would predict cognitive performance two years later. 1.207 very old adults were included in the representative, cross-sectional analyses, and 639 in the panel analyses. They were aged between 80 and 103 years and showed no signs of dementia. The associations between various social aspects and cognitive functions were investigated using hierarchical linear regression, controlling for relevant sociodemographic and health characteristics. Cross-sectionally, leisure engagement was positively associated with episodic memory (β = 0.53 [0.26, 0.79], p < .01) and global cognition (β = 0.50 [0.22, 0.79], p < .01), while overall network size was positively associated with global cognition (β = 0.04 [0.02, 0.07], p < .01). In contrast, we observed no associations between baseline social relationships and cognitive functions two years later. The findings suggest that while social relationships are associated with cognitive functions in very old age, short-term protective effects such as over two years may be less robust compared to other age groups.

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来源期刊
CiteScore
6.50
自引率
7.90%
发文量
72
期刊介绍: The European Journal of Ageing: Social, Behavioural and Health Perspectives is an interdisciplinary journal devoted to the understanding of ageing in European societies and the world over. EJA publishes original articles on the social, behavioral and population health aspects of ageing and encourages an integrated approach between these aspects. Emphasis is put on publishing empirical research (including meta-analyses), but conceptual papers (including narrative reviews) and methodological contributions will also be considered. EJA welcomes expert opinions on critical issues in ageing. By stimulating communication between researchers and those using research findings, it aims to contribute to the formulation of better policies and the development of better practice in serving older adults. To further specify, with the term ''social'' is meant the full scope of social science of ageing related research from the micro to the macro level of analysis. With the term ''behavioural'' the full scope of psychological ageing research including life span approaches based on a range of age groups from young to old is envisaged. The term ''population health-related'' denotes social-epidemiological and public health oriented research including research on functional health in the widest possible sense.
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