{"title":"Social participation patterns and associations with subsequent cognitive function in older adults with cognitive impairment: a latent class analysis.","authors":"Xin Li, Haishan Feng, Qingling Chen","doi":"10.3389/fmed.2025.1493359","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Social participation (SP) has been associated with cognitive benefits among older adults; however, little is known about SP patterns and their relationships with cognitive function in cognitively impaired populations. This study aimed to identify SP patterns among cognitively impaired older individuals and evaluate their associations with subsequent cognitive function, specifically mental intactness and episodic memory.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Data were drawn from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), including 5,673 individuals aged 60 years and older with cognitive impairment from 2015 to 2018. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify SP patterns, and hierarchical linear regression analyses were conducted to examine associations between these patterns and cognitive function.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Four distinct SP patterns were identified: \"Offline Social Participation Group\" (Class 1), \"Intellectual Social Participation Only Group\" (Class 2), \"Club and Volunteer Activities Group\" (Class 3), and \"Minimal Social Participation Group\" (Class 4). The Class 4 comprised the majority (73%) and exhibited the poorest cognitive outcomes. Compared to the Class 4, Class 2 showed significant improvements in mental intactness (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and episodic memory (<i>p</i> = 0.022), while Class 3 demonstrated significant improvements in mental intactness (<i>p</i> = 0.032) but not episodic memory. Class 1 showed significant improvements in episodic memory (<i>p</i> = 0.023).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study highlights the cognitive benefits of social participation, particularly intellectual activities, for older adults with cognitive impairment. Targeted interventions promoting SP, especially intellectual activities, are essential to mitigate cognitive decline and improve cognitive resilience in vulnerable populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":12488,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Medicine","volume":"12 ","pages":"1493359"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1000,"publicationDate":"2025-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11903710/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Frontiers in Medicine","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2025.1493359","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/1/1 0:00:00","PubModel":"eCollection","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"MEDICINE, GENERAL & INTERNAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Social participation (SP) has been associated with cognitive benefits among older adults; however, little is known about SP patterns and their relationships with cognitive function in cognitively impaired populations. This study aimed to identify SP patterns among cognitively impaired older individuals and evaluate their associations with subsequent cognitive function, specifically mental intactness and episodic memory.
Methods: Data were drawn from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), including 5,673 individuals aged 60 years and older with cognitive impairment from 2015 to 2018. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify SP patterns, and hierarchical linear regression analyses were conducted to examine associations between these patterns and cognitive function.
Results: Four distinct SP patterns were identified: "Offline Social Participation Group" (Class 1), "Intellectual Social Participation Only Group" (Class 2), "Club and Volunteer Activities Group" (Class 3), and "Minimal Social Participation Group" (Class 4). The Class 4 comprised the majority (73%) and exhibited the poorest cognitive outcomes. Compared to the Class 4, Class 2 showed significant improvements in mental intactness (p < 0.001) and episodic memory (p = 0.022), while Class 3 demonstrated significant improvements in mental intactness (p = 0.032) but not episodic memory. Class 1 showed significant improvements in episodic memory (p = 0.023).
Conclusion: This study highlights the cognitive benefits of social participation, particularly intellectual activities, for older adults with cognitive impairment. Targeted interventions promoting SP, especially intellectual activities, are essential to mitigate cognitive decline and improve cognitive resilience in vulnerable populations.
期刊介绍:
Frontiers in Medicine publishes rigorously peer-reviewed research linking basic research to clinical practice and patient care, as well as translating scientific advances into new therapies and diagnostic tools. Led by an outstanding Editorial Board of international experts, this multidisciplinary open-access journal is at the forefront of disseminating and communicating scientific knowledge and impactful discoveries to researchers, academics, clinicians and the public worldwide.
In addition to papers that provide a link between basic research and clinical practice, a particular emphasis is given to studies that are directly relevant to patient care. In this spirit, the journal publishes the latest research results and medical knowledge that facilitate the translation of scientific advances into new therapies or diagnostic tools. The full listing of the Specialty Sections represented by Frontiers in Medicine is as listed below. As well as the established medical disciplines, Frontiers in Medicine is launching new sections that together will facilitate
- the use of patient-reported outcomes under real world conditions
- the exploitation of big data and the use of novel information and communication tools in the assessment of new medicines
- the scientific bases for guidelines and decisions from regulatory authorities
- access to medicinal products and medical devices worldwide
- addressing the grand health challenges around the world