LONGITUDINAL DYADIC ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN LONELINESS AND COGNITION AMONG OLDER COUPLES IN THE UNITED STATES
2024
Loneliness and Cognition in Older Couples
Sample size: 1061
publication
Evidence: moderate
Author Information
Author(s): Stokes Jeffrey, Prasad Anyah, Barooah Adrita, Stam Elisabeth
Primary Institution: University of Massachusetts Boston
Hypothesis
Does dyadic loneliness affect cognitive functioning among older couples over time?
Conclusion
Loneliness negatively impacts the cognitive functioning of older adults, particularly their episodic memory, but cognitive decline does not lead to increased loneliness.
Supporting Evidence
- Loneliness predicted participants’ own and their partners’ loneliness at follow-up.
- Loneliness was associated with own episodic memory at follow-up.
- Episodic memory and verbal fluency predicted one another over time.
- Time 1 loneliness was linked with partner’s Time 3 episodic memory via that partner’s Time 2 loneliness.
Takeaway
When older people feel lonely, it can make their memory worse, and having a lonely partner can also affect their memory over time.
Methodology
Analyzed 3-wave dyadic Health and Retirement Study data from 2010-2020.
Participant Demographics
Older couples in the United States.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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