Cognition and depression in a cohort of aging men: results from the Western Collaborative Group Study

Is episodic memory performance more vulnerable to depressive affect in older adulthood?

This study examined how age, depressive symptoms, demographic variables, frailty, and health factors jointly influence episodic memory across the lifespan in two large, diverse samples. Hierarchical regression analyses from both samples showed that depressive symptoms negatively impacted episodic memory performance with the effect being more pronounced for older adults. Health and frailty tended not to be associated with episodic memory. However, the main effect of depressive symptoms tended to remain significant over and above other predictors, while the interaction with age was weakened with the addition of demographic variables. The unique contribution of this study is demonstrating that the relationship between depressive symptoms and episodic memory is moderated by age across relatively large non-clinical lifespan samples of adults. The findings indicate the importance of measuring and studying depressive symptoms during the course of aging in order to better understand the complex relationship between age, affect, physical functioning, and memory.

Cognitive functionality of older men in St. Catherine, Jamaica

BACKGROUND

The scientific literature is replete with factors that influence the cognitive functionality of older men but no such study has been done in Jamaica.

AIMS

In this study we report our findings on the cognitive functionality of three cohorts of older men in a rural area. This is the first data published on the cognitive functionality of older men from Jamaica.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

The investigation was carried out with the administration of a 132-item questionnaire. The measure includes items on demographics, retirement and health status, the seeking and avoidance of medical care, health treatment, medication use, childhood illness, happiness and the mini-mental status examination. The measure was given to 2,000 men 55 years and older who were randomly selected from St. Catherine.

RESULTS

THE MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF THE MODEL REVEALED THREE SIGNIFICANT DETERMINANTS OF COGNITIVE FUNCTIONALITY: Age (OR = 0.346, 95% CI = 0.206, 0.582), social support (OR = 0.683, 95% CI = 0.443, 1.053) and having children (OR = 2.42, 95% CI = 1.130, 5.183). There is a negative relationship between age and cognitive functionality and a positive relationship between having children and cognitive functionality.

CONCLUSIONS

Our main conclusions are that the two significant determinants of cognitive functionality of older men (age and having children) in Jamaica are unique given the many determinants of cognitive functioning cited in the scientific literature. The plethora of factors points to the need for further research to understand the range of factors that influence the cognitive functionality of older Jamaicans.

Longitudinal relationships between cognitive functioning and depressive symptoms among Hispanic older adults

This study examines the relationship between cognitive functioning and depressive symptoms across 3 years in a prospective study of 273 community-dwelling, Hispanic older adults in Miami. The analyses extend the literature by testing for a bidirectional or reciprocal relationship between depressive symptoms and cognitive functioning over time and by examining the relationship between these variables among Hispanics, an understudied population at risk of developing depressive symptoms and cognitive impairments. Structural equation modeling with a cross-lagged panel design showed that depressive symptoms were unrelated to subsequent cognitive functioning. However, cognitive functioning was related to subsequent depressive symptoms at every time point, such that poorer cognitive functioning was related to higher depressive symptoms. Findings suggest that cognitive declines may predict depressive symptoms in community-dwelling Hispanic older adults.