Psychosocial Function in Mild Cognitive Impairment: Social Participation is Associated With Cognitive Performance in Multiple Domains.

Abstract

Psychosocial function is associated with cognitive performance cross-sectionally and cognitive decline over time. Using data from the COMPASS-ND study, we examined associations between psychosocial and cognitive function in 126 individuals with mild cognitive impairment, an at-risk group for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Psychosocial function was measured using questionnaires about mental health, social support, and social engagement. Composite scores for five cognitive domains were derived using principal component analysis. Multiple linear regression models were used to test the effects of various psychosocial factors on cognitive performance, controlling for age, sex, education, MoCA scores, and living circumstances. We found that low current participation in one's social networks, over other psychosocial factors, was associated with worse verbal fluency and processing speed scores than those endorsing normal or high social participation. Our findings provide groundwork for further psychosocial-cognitive analyses in individuals at-risk for AD to better understand the role of poor social engagement in cognitive decline.