Open AccessASSOCIATION BETWEEN DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY SYMPTOMS AND COGNITION IN COMMUNITY DWELLING ELDERLY INDIVIDUALS
Author(s) -
G. Gomez De La Cruz,
Letícia Côrtes de Souza,
Juliana de Freitas,
Bruno Shimizu,
Kateřina Lukášová,
Maria Teresa Carthery Goulart
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
dementia and neuropsychologia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Conference proceedings
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.54
H-Index - 21
ISSN - 1980-5764
DOI - 10.5327/1980-5764.rpda104
Subject(s) - anxiety , geriatric depression scale , fluency , depression (economics) , clinical psychology , cognition , association (psychology) , psychology , verbal fluency test , medicine , psychiatry , neuropsychology , depressive symptoms , mathematics education , economics , psychotherapist , macroeconomics
Background: Depression and anxiety are common conditions among the elderly. Previous studies have conflicting results about the association between those symptoms and cognitive functioning (CF). Objective: To investigate the association between depression and anxiety symptoms and CF in community dwelling elderly individuals (aged 60 or over, living independently). Methods: Cross-sectional study with 362 elderly adults recruited by convenience to participate in a university outreach program. We analyzed correlations between scores at Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination-Revised (ACE-R), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI). Results: There were significant negative correlations between the GDS and subscales of attention and orientation, fluency and the overall ACE-R, also between GAI with fluency and overall ACE-R. There was a moderate positive correlation between GDS and GAI. A multiple linear regression model evidenced that fluency domain was the best predictor of GDS and GAI scores. Scores compatible with depression and anxiety were found in 13.5% (GD) and 16.3% (GA) of the sample, respectively. GD presented lower scores in fluency and GA in fluency, memory, language and overall ACE-R score (p <0.05) compared to controls in the same sample. Conclusion: Depression and anxiety were associated with lower CF in seniors.