Functional Limitations, Depressive Symptoms, and Cognition Across Mid- and Late-Life: Evidence from China
2024

Functional Limitations, Depression, and Cognition in Older Adults

Sample size: 10054 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Yu Chang, Barr Ashley, Grol-Prokopczyk Hanna

Primary Institution: University at Buffalo, SUNY

Hypothesis

Functional limitations and depressive symptoms during middle age contribute to worse cognitive function in later years.

Conclusion

Functional limitations and depressive symptoms negatively impact cognitive functioning in older adults, even when accounting for changes over time.

Supporting Evidence

  • More functional limitations and depressive symptoms predict lower cognitive scores.
  • Disabilities and depression in mid-life continue to predict worse cognitive functioning later in life.

Takeaway

If you have trouble doing things or feel sad when you're older, it can make it harder to think and remember things.

Methodology

The study used mixed-effects linear models on longitudinal data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study.

Participant Demographics

Middle-aged and older Chinese individuals.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1093/geroni/igae098.2653

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