Reductions in cognitive functioning are associated with decreases in satisfaction with aging. Longitudinal findings based on a nationally representative sample

Cognitive impairment and domain-specific life satisfaction among older adults: Findings from the Korean National Longitudinal Study on Aging

BACKGROUND

Overall life satisfaction among older adults is associated with cognitive impairment. However, little is known regarding its influence on satisfaction with specific domains of life, such as health, income status, and marital relationship. This study aims to analyze the relationship between cognitive impairment and satisfaction with specific domains of life in older Koreans.

METHODS

This study used data from the Korean National Longitudinal Study on Aging from 2014 to 2020. Cognitive function was measured with the Mini-Mental State Examination. Four different models are used to assess the effect of cognitive impairment on four different measures of life satisfaction. The dependent variable in each model was overall life satisfaction, satisfaction with health status, satisfaction with economic status, and satisfaction with marital relationship, respectively. A generalized estimating equation modeling approach was used to take advantage of panel data.

RESULTS

In the weighted sample, 54.1% of the participants were women. The mean (± standard error) age of all participants was 68.9 (±0.1) years old. A total of 1671 participants (24.8%) had cognitive impairment. After adjustment of other variables, individuals without cognitive impairment were more satisfied with overall life (B = 2.75, P < 0.001), health status (B = 4.31, P < 0.001), economic status (B = 2.83, P < 0.001) and marital relationship (B = 3.36, P < 0.001) than impaired individuals.

CONCLUSION

Cognitive impairment in old age is significantly associated with overall life satisfaction as well as satisfaction with several domains of life, such as health, income status, and marital relationship. Cognitive impairment is more strongly associated with satisfaction with health status and marital relationship than on satisfaction with economic status. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2025; 25: 182-189.

The Relationship between Subjective Aging and Cognition in Elderly People: A Systematic Review

There is a growing body of evidence on the effects of subjective aging on health, well-being and quality of life. This review aims to synthesize findings about the link between subjective aging and cognition and cognitive decline. Furthermore, it provides an examination of variation sources such as subjective aging construct, cognitive domains, measures employed, age and moderator variables. A systematic search was performed in PubMed, PsychInfo and Web of Science, as well as grey literature searches in Google Scholar, OpenGrey, WorldCat and NDLTD, which resulted in 59 reports being included. Subjective aging is a relevant construct in the explanation and prediction of cognitive aging and cognitive decline in elderly adults. More positive views about own aging and self-perceptions of aging, as well as a younger subjective age, were consistently related to better cognition and lower risk of cognitive decline. However, there were differences due to subjective aging subdimensions and cognitive domains, as well as an effect of age. Additionally, there were concerns about the content validity of some measures employed, such as the Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale for subjective aging and the Mini Mental State Examination for global cognition. Further studies should employ longitudinal designs with a process-based approach to cognition and precise subjective aging measures.