Dataset Information

Purpose in life is a robust protective factor of reported cognitive decline among late middle-aged adults: The Emory Healthy Aging Study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Cognitive abilities tend to decline in advanced age. A novel protective factor of cognitive decline in advanced age is purpose-in-life (PiL), a trait-like tendency to derive life meanings and purpose. However, whether PiL protects against cognitive decline in late-middle-age is unclear. Hence, we examined the association between PiL and perceived cognitive decline, one of the earliest detectable cognitive symptoms before the onset of cognitive impairment. Furthermore, we used a machine learning approach to investigate whether PiL is a robust predictor of cognitive decline when considered with the known protective and risk factors for cognition.

Methods

PiL was assessed with a 10-item questionnaire and perceived cognitive decline with the Cognitive Function Instrument among 5,441 Emory Healthy Aging Study participants, whose mean age was 63 and 51% were employed. Association between PiL and perceived cognitive decline was examined with linear regression adjusting for relevant confounding factors. Elastic Net was performed to identify the most robust predictors of cognitive decline.

Results

Greater PiL was associated with less perceived cognitive decline after adjusting for the relevant factors. Furthermore, Elastic Net modeling suggested that PiL is a robust predictor of cognitive decline when considered simultaneously with known protective (education, exercise, enrichment activities) and risk factors for cognition (depression, anxiety, diagnosed medical, mental health problems, smoking, alcohol use, family history of dementia, and others).

Limitation

This is a cross-sectional study.

Conclusions

PiL is a robust protective factor of perceived cognitive decline observed as early as middle age. Thus, interventions to enhance PiL merit further investigation.

SUBMITTER: Wingo AP

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6989389 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Purpose in life is a robust protective factor of reported cognitive decline among late middle-aged adults: The Emory Healthy Aging Study.

Wingo Aliza P AP Wingo Thomas S TS Fan Wen W Bergquist Sharon S Alonso Alvaro A Marcus Michele M Levey Allan I AI Lah James J JJ

Journal of affective disorders 20191130

<h4>Background</h4>Cognitive abilities tend to decline in advanced age. A novel protective factor of cognitive decline in advanced age is purpose-in-life (PiL), a trait-like tendency to derive life meanings and purpose. However, whether PiL protects against cognitive decline in late-middle-age is unclear. Hence, we examined the association between PiL and perceived cognitive decline, one of the earliest detectable cognitive symptoms before the onset of cognitive impairment. Furthermore, we used ...[more]

PMID: 31969260

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Dataset Information

Purpose in life is a robust protective factor of reported cognitive decline among late middle-aged adults: The Emory Healthy Aging Study.

Background

Methods

Results

Limitation

Conclusions

Publications

Purpose in life is a robust protective factor of reported cognitive decline among late middle-aged adults: The Emory Healthy Aging Study.

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