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Determinants of subjective cognitive decline in dementia‐free older adults: A population‐based study
Author(s) -
Zullo Leonardo,
Clark Christopher,
Popp Julius
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
alzheimer's and dementia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.713
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1552-5279
pISSN - 1552-5260
DOI - 10.1002/alz.038805
Subject(s) - dementia , cognitive decline , neuroticism , psychosocial , cognition , population , quality of life (healthcare) , socioeconomic status , verbal fluency test , psychology , depression (economics) , gerontology , clinical psychology , neuropsychology , medicine , personality , psychiatry , disease , social psychology , environmental health , economics , psychotherapist , macroeconomics
Abstract Background Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) is common in older adults and may represent the earliest clinical manifestation of cognitive decline evolving to dementia. Still little is known about factors related to SCD. Method We conducted a cross‐sectional analysis on 1567 community‐dwelling, dementia‐free participants aged 64 years and older from CoLaus/PsyCoLaus, a population‐based study from an urban area in Switzerland. SCD was assessed using a validated 10‐item questionnaire. Quality of life, socioeconomic status, depression, personality, professional activity, and perceived social support were measured, and a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery was administered. Multivariate regression models were used to explore the data. Furthermore, we investigated whether SCD predicts cognitive decline in a subgroup with available longitudinal data. Result Mean age was 70.9 ± 4.7 and SCD was present in 18.5%. Younger age, higher socioeconomic status, neuroticism, depression, and their interaction as well as poorer performance in memory and verbal fluency tasks were associated with SCD. Exploratory analysis revealed associations between SCD and interaction of neuroticism with quality of life. Two items from the SCD questionnaire predicted cognitive decline five years later in a subgroup with mild cognitive impairment at baseline. Conclusion Besides cognitive performance, specific psychosocial factors are associated with SCD in dementia‐free older people. These findings suggest possible intervention targets to reduce cognitive complaints and prevent cognitive decline.