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Social functioning and cognitive impairment among the oldest old
Author(s) -
Lisko Inna,
Ngandu Tiia,
Solomon Alina,
Kivipelto Miia,
Kulmala Jenni
Publication year - 2021
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.053490
Subject(s) - psychology , cognitive skill , cognition , odds ratio , population , logistic regression , dementia , social functioning , quality of life (healthcare) , observational study , confidence interval , gerontology , developmental psychology , clinical psychology , medicine , psychiatry , disease , distress , environmental health , pathology , psychotherapist
Background Findings from observational studies support the benefits of social activities on cognition. The ability to carry out social activities is described by social functioning. However, only little data exists on the associations between social functioning and cognition among the oldest old. The aim of this study is to explore if social functioning is associated with cognitive impairment among the oldest old. Method The study uses cross‐sectional data from a Finnish population‐based Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging and Dementia (CAIDE) 85+ study. Altogether 187 individuals aged 85+ provided data on health‐related quality of life, RAND‐36, from which the following question on social functioning was used: “During the past 4 weeks, how much of the time has your physical health or emotional problems interfered with your social activities (like visiting with friends, relatives, etc.)?“ Social functioning was divided into three categories: 1) Low (all the time or most of the time), 2) Moderate (some time), and 3) High (a little time or not at all). Cognitive impairment was defined as Mini‐Mental State Examination score < 25. Logistic regression model was used in the analyses which were adjusted for sex. Result According to these preliminary results, individuals with low social functioning were 7 times more likely to have cognitive impairment as compared to individuals with high social functioning (Odds ratio [OR] 7.46, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 2.16–25.75). No differences in cognitive impairment were found between individuals with moderate social functioning as compared to high social functioning (OR 0.68, 95% CI 0.26–1.84). Conclusion Lower social functioning appears to be associated with cognitive impairment among the oldest old. These results need further exploration. Causality behind the found association should be examined and if supporting social activities particularly among cognitively impaired would carry health benefits.