The association of leisure activities in middle adulthood with cognitive performance in old age: Social capital mediates cognitive reserve effects.

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 236-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Sauter ◽  
Eric Widmer ◽  
Andreas Ihle ◽  
Matthias Kliegel
2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 190-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Ihle ◽  
Michel Oris ◽  
Julia Sauter ◽  
Ulrike Rimmele ◽  
Matthias Kliegel

Aims: The present study set out to investigate the relation of psychological stress to cognitive performance and its interplay with key life course markers of cognitive reserve and social capital in a large sample of older adults. Methods: We assessed cognitive performance (verbal abilities and processing speed) and psychological stress in 2,812 older adults. The Participants reported information on education, occupation, leisure activities, family, and close friends. Results: Greater psychological stress was significantly related to lower performance in verbal abilities and processing speed. Moderation analyses suggested that the relations of psychological stress to cognitive performance were reduced in individuals with higher education, a higher cognitive level of the first profession practiced after education, a larger number of midlife leisure activities, a larger number of significant family members, and a larger number of close friends. Conclusion: Cognitive reserve and social capital accrued in early and midlife may reduce the detrimental influences of psychological stress on cognitive functioning in old age.


Gerontology ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 61 (6) ◽  
pp. 543-550 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Ihle ◽  
Michel Oris ◽  
Delphine Fagot ◽  
Marie Baeriswyl ◽  
Eduardo Guichard ◽  
...  

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (10) ◽  
pp. 1659-1669 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Ihle ◽  
Catherine Grotz ◽  
Stéphane Adam ◽  
Michel Oris ◽  
Delphine Fagot ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTBackground:The role of timing of retirement on cognitive functioning in old age is inconclusive so far. Therefore, the present study set out to investigate the association of timing of retirement with cognitive performance and its interplay with key correlates of cognitive reserve in a large sample of older adults.Methods:Two thousand two hundred and sixty three older adults served as sample for the present study. Different psychometric tests (Trail Making Test part A (TMT A), Trail Making Test part B (TMT B), Mill Hill) were administered. In addition, individuals were interviewed on their retirement, occupation, educational attainment, and regarding 18 leisure activities that have been carried out after retirement.Results:Earlier retirement (compared to retirement at legal age) was significantly associated with better performance in the TMT A, the TMT B, and the Mill Hill vocabulary test. Moderation analyses showed that in individuals with a moderate number of leisure activities in old age, earlier retirement was related to better cognitive performance, but not in those with a relatively large number of leisure activities. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that entering leisure activities as additional predictor significantly increased explained variance in the cognitive measures over and above all other investigated markers of cognitive reserve (i.e. occupation and education).Conclusions:Present data further corroborate the view that leisure activities even in old age may lead to further enrichment effects and thereby may be related to better cognitive functioning. The role of engaging in activities in the context of major life events such as retirement is discussed.


2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (6) ◽  
pp. 1199-1205
Author(s):  
Fanny Vallet ◽  
Nathalie Mella ◽  
Andreas Ihle ◽  
Marine Beaudoin ◽  
Delphine Fagot ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives Interindividual differences in cognitive aging may be explained by differences in cognitive reserve (CR) that are built up across the life span. A plausible but underresearched mechanism for these differences is that CR helps compensating cognitive decline by enhancing motivation to cope with challenging cognitive situations. Theories of motivation on cognition suggest that perceived capacity and intrinsic motivation may be key mediators in this respect. Method In 506 older adults, we assessed CR proxies (education, occupation, leisure activities), motivation (perceived capacity, intrinsic motivation), and a global measure of cognitive functioning. Results Perceived capacity, but not intrinsic motivation, significantly mediated the relation between CR and cognitive performance. Discussion Complementary with neurobiological and cognitive processes, our results suggest a more comprehensive view of the role of motivational aspects built up across the life span in determining differences in cognitive performance in old age.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (S10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuanjing Li ◽  
Xiang Wang ◽  
Tingting Hou ◽  
Lin Song ◽  
Mingqi Wang ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (12) ◽  
pp. 1753-1758 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Ihle ◽  
Michel Oris ◽  
Marie Baeriswyl ◽  
Matthias Kliegel

ABSTRACTBackground:From a conceptual point of view, close friends are an important resource for promoting activity engagement in old age. Leisure activity engagement in turn is a key predictor of cognitive performance. Empirically, it remains unclear so far whether leisure activity engagement mediates between having close friends on the one hand and cognitive performance on the other, which we investigated in a large sample of older adults.Methods:We assessed cognitive performance (Mill Hill vocabulary scale and Trail Making Test (TMT) parts A and B) in 2,812 older adults. Participants reported information on leisure activity engagement and close friends.Results:A larger number of leisure activities and a larger number of close friends were significantly related to better cognitive performance in the Mill Hill vocabulary scale and TMT parts A and B. A larger number of close friends were significantly related to a larger number of leisure activities. The number of leisure activities mediated more than half of the relation of the number of close friends to performance in all three cognitive measures.Conclusions:Having close friends may be helpful to stimulate and promote activity participation in old age. By enhancing individuals’ cognitive reserve, this may finally preserve their cognitive performance level in old age.


2019 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Ihle ◽  
Michel Oris ◽  
Marie Baeriswyl ◽  
Sascha Zuber ◽  
Stéphane Cullati ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Objectives: Social reserve such as having close friends helps promoting activity engagement in old age. Activity engagement in turn contributes to the accumulation of cognitive reserve and is a key predictor for maintaining executive functioning in aging. We investigated the mediating role of leisure activity engagement in the longitudinal relation between close friends and subsequent change in executive functioning as measured through performance changes in the Trail Making Test (TMT). Design, Setting, and Participants: Longitudinal study with 897 older adults tested in two waves 6 years apart, analyzed using latent change score modeling. Measurements: TMT parts A and B, leisure activity engagement, and close friends. Results: A larger number of close friends in the first wave of data collection was related to a higher frequency of leisure activities in the first wave. A higher frequency of leisure activities in the first wave significantly predicted a smaller subsequent increase in TMT completion time from the first to the second wave (i.e. a smaller decline in executive functioning). Importantly, 41.3% of the longitudinal relation between a larger number of close friends in the first wave and a smaller subsequent increase in TMT completion time (i.e. a smaller decline in executive functioning) was mediated via a higher frequency of leisure activities in the first wave. Conclusions: Social reserve such as having close friends may help promoting activity engagement in old age. By enhancing individuals’ cognitive reserve, this activity engagement may finally result in smaller subsequent decline in executive functioning in aging.


2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (8) ◽  
pp. 1171-1187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Ihle ◽  
Élvio R. Gouveia ◽  
Bruna R. Gouveia ◽  
Duarte L. Freitas ◽  
Jefferson Jurema ◽  
...  

Objective: We investigated the relation of hypertension to cognitive performance and its interplay with key markers of cognitive reserve in a large sample of older adults. Method: We assessed tests of immediate and delayed cued recall and working memory in 701 older adults. We measured systolic blood pressure and interviewed individuals on their education, past occupation, and cognitive leisure activity. Results: Hypertension (≥140 mmHg) was related to lower performance in all three cognitive measures. Moderation analyses suggested that these relations were reduced in individuals with greater engaging in cognitive leisure activity. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that hypertension was not related to any of the three investigated cognitive performance measures when education, cognitive level of job, and cognitive leisure activity were simultaneously taken into account. Discussion: The detrimental influences of hypertension on cognitive functioning in old age may be reduced in individuals with greater cognitive reserve accumulated during the life course.


2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 733-740 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Ihle ◽  
Michel Oris ◽  
Delphine Fagot ◽  
Christian Maggiori ◽  
Matthias Kliegel

ABSTRACTBackground:The relevance of mental health for everyday life functioning and well-being is crucial. In this context, higher educational attainment, higher cognitive level of one's occupation, and more engaging in stimulating leisure activities have been found to be associated with better cognitive functioning in old age. Yet, the detailed pattern of the potential interplay of such a cognitively engaged lifestyle with personality dimensions, such as openness to experience, in their relations to cognitive functioning remains unclear.Methods:Two thousand eight hundred and twelve older adults served as sample for the present study. Psychometric tests on verbal abilities and processing speed were administered. In addition, individuals were retrospectively interviewed on their educational attainment, occupation, and regarding 18 leisure activities that had been carried out in mid-life. Moreover, openness to experience was assessed.Results:We found that the effect of openness to experience on cognitive functioning was mediated by educational attainment, cognitive level of job, and engaging in different leisure activities. Data were not better described by alternative moderation models testing for interactive (i.e. dependent) effects of openness to experience and cognitively stimulating engagement.Conclusions:To explain interindividual differences in cognitive functioning in old age, present data are in line with a mechanism in which individuals with high openness to experience may have been more engaged in stimulating activities in early and mid-life. Possibly by increasing their cognitive reserve throughout adulthood, this may finally enhance their cognitive performance level later in old age.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document