Dataset Information

Longitudinal Dyadic Associations Between Loneliness and Cognition Among Older Couples in the United States.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Loneliness is associated with diminished health and cognition for older individuals. However, little research has examined dyadic loneliness-that is, loneliness of both partners in a relationship-and its potential consequences for cognitive functioning among both spouses, nor whether one partner's cognition may affect both partners' loneliness over time.

Methods

We analyze 3-wave dyadic Health and Retirement Study data (2010-2020; N = 1,061 dyads) to determine (a) whether loneliness predicts participants' own and/or their partners' episodic memory and verbal fluency over 8 years, and (b) whether cognitive functioning predicts older spouses' own or their partners' loneliness over the same period.

Results

Loneliness predicted participants' own and their partners' loneliness at follow-up, at both time points. Loneliness was also associated with own episodic memory at follow-up, but not with verbal fluency. Episodic memory and verbal fluency predicted one another over time. Neither episodic memory nor verbal fluency predicted loneliness at follow-up. Significant dyadic mediation was established such that Time 1 loneliness was linked with partner's Time 3 episodic memory via that partner's Time 2 loneliness.

Discussion

Lonelier older adults displayed worse trajectories of episodic memory over time, yet poor memory did not precede changes to loneliness. Further, having a lonely partner was linked with poorer episodic memory 8 years later, indicating that both one's own and-to a lesser extent-a partner's emotional well-being may be consequential for maintaining cognitive functioning with age. Associations were more clearly established with episodic memory than with verbal fluency, suggesting potential domain-specific effects of loneliness.

SUBMITTER: Stokes JE

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10292839 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Longitudinal Dyadic Associations Between Loneliness and Cognition Among Older Couples in the United States.

Stokes Jeffrey E JE Prasad Anyah A Barooah Adrita A Stam Elisabeth J EJ

The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences 20230601 7

<h4>Objectives</h4>Loneliness is associated with diminished health and cognition for older individuals. However, little research has examined dyadic loneliness-that is, loneliness of both partners in a relationship-and its potential consequences for cognitive functioning among both spouses, nor whether one partner's cognition may affect both partners' loneliness over time.<h4>Methods</h4>We analyze 3-wave dyadic Health and Retirement Study data (2010-2020; N = 1,061 dyads) to determine (a) wheth ...[more]

PMID: 36951495

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Project description:BackgroundMedically assisted reproduction is a vulnerable time for couples' sexual health. Believing that sexual challenges can be worked through (i.e., sexual growth beliefs) or that these challenges indicate incompatibility (i.e., sexual destiny beliefs) may be related to dyadic coping-the strategies couples use to cope-with the physical and psychological stressors of medically assisted reproduction.AimIn the current study we aimed to examine the longitudinal associations between typical (i.e., average) levels of sexual growth and destiny beliefs and positive and negative facets of dyadic coping and how greater than typical levels of these constructs predicted each other across time.MethodsCouples (n = 219) seeking medically assisted reproduction were recruited for an online longitudinal, dyadic study.OutcomesCouples completed online measures of sexual growth and destiny beliefs and positive and negative dyadic coping at baseline, 6-and 12-months.ResultsRandom intercept cross-lagged panel models demonstrated that at the within-person level, reporting higher sexual growth beliefs at baseline, relative to their average across time points, was associated with lower negative dyadic coping at 6 months. Higher negative dyadic coping at 6 months, relative to their average, was linked to lower sexual growth beliefs at 12-months. When individuals reported higher sexual destiny beliefs at 6-months, relative to their average, they and their partners reported higher negative dyadic coping at 12 -months. At the between-person level, higher overall levels of sexual destiny beliefs were related to higher overall levels of negative dyadic coping. No associations with positive dyadic coping were identified.Clinical implicationsCouples may benefit from identifying and reducing unhelpful beliefs about sex and negative dyadic coping.Strengths and limitationsStrengths of this study include our large, inclusive sample, engagement of community partners, and novel analytical approach to assess change over time. However, following couples in 6-month increments and not using questionnaires specific to medically assisted reproduction may have limited our ability to detect nuanced changes that couples experience during this time.ConclusionLower sexual growth and higher sexual destiny beliefs may promote couples' engagement in less adaptive coping behaviors as they seek medically assisted reproduction.

Project description:Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the longitudinal associations of stroke with cognitive impairment in older US adults. Method: The data used in this longitudinal analysis were extracted from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) from 2011 to 2019. Univariate and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate the longitudinal association of stroke with cognitive impairment. The multivariable model was adjusted by demographic, physical, and mental characteristics, and the complex survey design of NHATS was taken into consideration. Results: A total of 7,052 participants with complete data were included. At the baseline, the weighted proportion of cognitive impairment was 19.37% (95% CI, 17.92-20.81%), and the weighted proportion of the history of stroke was 9.81% (95% CI, 8.90-10.72%). In univariate analysis, baseline stroke history was significantly associated with cognitive impairment in the future (hazard ratio, 1.746; 95% CI, 1.461-2.088), and the baseline cognitive impairment was significantly associated with future report of stroke (hazard ratio, 1.436; 95% CI, 1.088-1.896). In multivariable model, stroke was also significantly associated with cognitive impairment (hazard ratio, 1.241; 95% CI, 1.011-1.522); however, the reverse association was not significant (hazard ratio, 1.068; 95% CI, 0.788-1.447). After the data from proxy respondents were excluded, in the sensitive analyses, the results remained unchanged. Conclusion: Older adults in the United States who suffered strokes are more likely to develop cognitive impairment as a result in the future than those who have not had strokes. However, the reverse association did not hold. Furthermore, the study suggests that it is necessary to screen and take early intervention for cognitive impairment in stroke survivors and prevent the incidence of stroke by modifying risk factors in the general population with rapidly growing older US adults.

Dataset Information

Longitudinal Dyadic Associations Between Loneliness and Cognition Among Older Couples in the United States.

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Publications

Longitudinal Dyadic Associations Between Loneliness and Cognition Among Older Couples in the United States.

Similar Datasets

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