Romantic Attachment, Stress, and Cognitive Functioning in a Large Sample of Middle-Aged and Older Couples

Abstract Romantic relationships are a key factor contributing to health across the lifespan. Within this research line, attachment theory has been a useful framework to understand how relationships impact health. One primary health concern in late adulthood is reduced cognitive functioning: Alzheimer’s disease and related neurodegenerative disorders become increasingly prevalent with age affecting millions of people. Even though much research has identified various sociodemographic, medical, and behavioral risk factors, little knowledge exists on romantic attachment’s psychosocial role for cognitive decline. The purpose of this study was to examine the link between insecure attachment, stress, and cognitive functioning in a large sample of middle-aged and older couples. In particular, we wanted to investigate how insecure attachment is linked to both partners’ cognitive functioning and whether stress mediates these associations. To that aim, we used data of 1,043 romantic couples (Mage = 64.7 years; 38.5% same-sex couples) who reported on their attachment anxiety and avoidance, their stress levels, their cognitive decline, and their and their partners’ dementia symptoms. Couple members also participated in a memory performance task. The results suggest that anxiety is linked to participants’ cognitive decline, while avoidance was linked to partners’ cognitive decline and poorer memory performance. We also detected significant mediational effects for stress in the association between insecure attachment and cognitive functioning. We conclude that potentially malleable psychosocial factors, such as insecure attachment and stress, are important research objects when understanding cognitive functioning in middle and late adulthood.

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Disturbed cognitive functioning and clinical symptoms: two independent problem areas in schizophrenia

Acta Neuropsychiatrica ◽

10.1034/j.1601-5215.2003.00042.x ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 15 (5) ◽

pp. 280-283 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

G. H. M. Pijnenborg ◽

M. van Beilen ◽

J. Arends ◽

E. A. E. Holthausen ◽

F. K. Withaar

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Decline ◽

Cognitive Functioning ◽

Clinical Symptoms ◽

Psychiatric Symptoms ◽

Convincing Evidence ◽

Large Sample ◽

Research Findings ◽

The Relationship

Background:Research findings on the relationship between cognitive functioning and psychiatric symptoms in schizophrenia have yielded inconsistent results. Although several models were postulated linking cognition and symptoms, the most recent studies point in the direction of cognition and symptoms being relatively independent disease processes.Objective:The hypothesis that cognitive decline and psychiatric symptoms are independent disease processes was tested.Methods:The relationship between cognitive functioning and clinical symptoms was examined in a large sample of 100 schizophrenia patients.Results:The hypothesis was largely confirmed.Conclusion:No convincing evidence was found that symptoms and cognition were related.

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Memory Processes, Aging, Cognitive Decline, and Neurodegenerative Diseases

European Psychologist ◽

10.1027/1016-9040.11.4.304 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 304-311 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Lars-Göran Nilsson

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Neurodegenerative Disease ◽

Genetic Markers ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Modeling And Simulations ◽

Aging And Health ◽

Explained Variance ◽

Different Levels

This paper presents four domains of markers that have been found to predict later cognitive impairment and neurodegenerative disease. These four domains are (1) data patterns of memory performance, (2) cardiovascular factors, (3) genetic markers, and (4) brain activity. The critical features of each domain are illustrated with data from the longitudinal Betula Study on memory, aging, and health ( Nilsson et al., 1997 ; Nilsson et al., 2004 ). Up to now, early signs regarding these domains have been examined one by one and it has been found that they are associated with later cognitive impairment and neurodegenerative disease. However, it was also found that each marker accounts for only a very small part of the total variance, implying that single markers should not be used as predictors for cognitive decline or neurodegenerative disease. It is discussed whether modeling and simulations should be used as tools to combine markers at different levels to increase the amount of explained variance.

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Chronically Maternal Exposure to Fenvalerate during Medium-Late Pregnancy Accelerated Cognitive Decline in Middle-Aged Offspring Mice

Journal of Advanced Neuroscience Research ◽

10.15379/2409-3564.2014.01.01.4 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 27-37

Author(s):

Gui-Hai Chen ◽

◽

Fang Wang ◽

Xue-Wei Li ◽

Qi-Gang Yang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Decline ◽

Late Pregnancy ◽

Maternal Exposure ◽

Middle Aged

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Lower functional hippocampal redundancy in mild cognitive impairment

Translational Psychiatry ◽

10.1038/s41398-020-01166-w ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Stephanie Langella ◽

◽

Muhammad Usman Sadiq ◽

Peter J. Mucha ◽

Kelly S. Giovanello ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Resting State ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Potential Mechanism ◽

Network Efficiency ◽

Cognitively Normal ◽

Normal Individuals ◽

The Relationship

AbstractWith an increasing prevalence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in response to an aging population, it is critical to identify and understand neuroprotective mechanisms against cognitive decline. One potential mechanism is redundancy: the existence of duplicate elements within a system that provide alternative functionality in case of failure. As the hippocampus is one of the earliest sites affected by AD pathology, we hypothesized that functional hippocampal redundancy is protective against cognitive decline. We compared hippocampal functional redundancy derived from resting-state functional MRI networks in cognitively normal older adults, with individuals with early and late MCI, as well as the relationship between redundancy and cognition. Posterior hippocampal redundancy was reduced between cognitively normal and MCI groups, plateauing across early and late MCI. Higher hippocampal redundancy was related to better memory performance only for cognitively normal individuals. Critically, functional hippocampal redundancy did not come at the expense of network efficiency. Our results provide support that hippocampal redundancy protects against cognitive decline in aging.

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Spousal Loss and Cognitive Functioning: Do Pre-Loss Marital Quality and Gender Matter?

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.1178 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 366-366

Author(s):

Joohong Min ◽

Jieun Song

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Decline ◽

Cognitive Functioning ◽

Marital Quality ◽

The United States ◽

Cognitive Change ◽

Life Transitions ◽

Cognitive Changes ◽

Spousal Loss ◽

And Gender ◽

The Impact

Abstract Prior research has found that the risk of cognitive decline increases after the death of a spouse. In general, the impact of life transitions is contingent on contextual factors such as socio-demographic characteristics or relationship quality. However, there is limited research on how marital quality before spousal loss and gender influence the association between spousal loss and cognitive change. The current study examines the effects of spousal loss on change in cognitive functioning as well as the moderating effects of pre-loss marital quality and gender. Data from two waves of the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study were analyzed (MIDUS2: 2004-05, MIDUS3: 2013-14). The analytic sample consists of two groups: (1) 179 bereaved adults who were age 54 or older at MIDUS2 (M = 65.2, SD = 9.5) and whose spouses died between MIDUS2 and MIDUS3, and (2) 179 non-bereaved adults, matched with the bereaved group on age and gender, who did not experience spousal loss between the two waves. Cognitive function was assessed via BTACT (Brief Telephone Adult Cognition Test) at both waves. Regression results show that both pre-loss marital quality and gender significantly moderate the association between spousal loss and change in cognitive functioning. Specifically, relative to their counterparts, men and those who reported better marital relationships prior to spousal death had a greater risk of cognitive decline after a spouse’s death. The findings suggest the significance of pre-loss marital quality and gender for cognitive changes in widowhood and have implications for the development of efficient interventions

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Subjective Cognitive Decline and its Relation to Verbal Memory and Sex in Cognitively Unimpaired Individuals from a Colombian Cohort with Autosomal-Dominant Alzheimer’s Disease

Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society ◽

10.1017/s1355617721000801 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Jairo E. Martinez ◽

Enmanuelle Pardilla-Delgado ◽

Edmarie Guzmán-Vélez ◽

Clara Vila-Castelar ◽

Rebecca Amariglio ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Sex Differences ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Verbal Memory ◽

Autosomal Dominant ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Subjective Cognitive Decline ◽

Mutation Carriers ◽

Study Partner

Abstract Objective: Subjective Cognitive Decline (SCD) may be an early indicator of risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Findings regarding sex differences in SCD are inconsistent. Studying sex differences in SCD within cognitively unimpaired individuals with autosomal-dominant AD (ADAD), who will develop dementia, may inform sex-related SCD variations in preclinical AD. We examined sex differences in SCD within cognitively unimpaired mutation carriers from the world’s largest ADAD kindred and sex differences in the relationship between SCD and memory performance. Methods: We included 310 cognitively unimpaired Presenilin-1 (PSEN-1) E280A mutation carriers (51% females) and 1998 noncarrier family members (56% females) in the study. Subjects and their study partners completed SCD questionnaires and the CERAD word list delayed recall test. ANCOVAs were conducted to examine group differences in SCD, sex, and memory performance. In carriers, partial correlations were used to examine associations between SCD and memory performance covarying for education. Results: Females in both groups had greater self-reported and study partner-reported SCD than males (all p < 0.001). In female mutation carriers, greater self-reported (p = 0.02) and study partner-reported SCD (p < 0.001) were associated with worse verbal memory. In male mutation carriers, greater self-reported (p = 0.03), but not study partner-reported SCD (p = 0.11) was associated with worse verbal memory. Conclusions: Study partner-reported SCD may be a stronger indicator of memory decline in females versus males in individuals at risk for developing dementia. Future studies with independent samples and preclinical trials should consider sex differences when recruiting based on SCD criteria.

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Perception of Neighborhood Characteristics During Childhood and Cognitive Health Among Older Adults in China

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.1419 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 439-439

Author(s):

Changmin Peng ◽

Sae Hwang Han ◽

Jeffrey Burr

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Function ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Cognitive Functioning ◽

Social Cohesion ◽

Later Life ◽

Neighborhood Characteristics ◽

Neighborhood Safety ◽

Cognitive Health ◽

Childhood Conditions ◽

Neighborhood Environments

Abstract Neighborhood environments shape the availability of resources for social engagement and social interaction, which are associated with better health outcomes. However, these contextual factors are also considered sources of potential social distress and tension, increasing the risk of subsequent health deficits, including cognitive decline. Our understanding of the linkage between childhood neighborhood environments and cognitive functioning in later life is limited. This study employed three waves of nationally representative data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (2011-2015; N = 11,105) to investigate the relationship between self-reported neighborhood social cohesion during childhood (i.e., neighborhood safety, neighbors willing to help, and close-knit neighborhood) and cognitive functioning (Chinese version of TICS). We employed latent growth curve modeling to test hypotheses relating to life course models of childhood conditions and later life cognitive functioning (the long arm of childhood). The results showed that perceptions regarding the willingness of neighbors to help and close-knit neighborhood characteristics during childhood were positively associated with levels of later life cognitive function. Further, growing up in a neighborhood characterized by the willingness of neighbors to help others was negatively associated with the rate of cognitive decline, net of childhood and adulthood covariates. Self-report of neighborhood safety during childhood was unrelated to cognitive function (level and change). These findings underscored the long-term ramifications of childhood conditions as potential risk factors for later-life cognitive health. Social cohesion at the neighborhood level as experienced during childhood may be a protective factor for healthy cognitive aging among older Chinese adults.

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Cannabis Use, Age of Initiation, and Neurocognitive Performance: Findings from a Large Sample of Heavy Drinking Emerging Adults

Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society ◽

10.1017/s1355617721000618 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 27 (6) ◽

pp. 533-545

Author(s):

Melissa Parlar ◽

Emily MacKillop ◽

Tashia Petker ◽

James Murphy ◽

James MacKillop

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Emerging Adults ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Heavy Drinking ◽

Cannabis Use ◽

Neurocognitive Functioning ◽

Adhd Symptoms ◽

Neurocognitive Performance ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Large Sample

AbstractObjective:To evaluate the associations between cannabis use and neurocognitive functioning, including self-reported attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, in a large sample of emerging adults (ages 21–25) using a cross-sectional design. A secondary objective was to examine age of cannabis initiation as a moderator.Methods:Participants were high-risk drinking emerging adults (n = 598) reporting past-month cannabis use in the following categories: 1) non-users (i.e., never or not in the past month; n = 276), 2) occasional users (i.e., monthly or weekly users; n = 201), and 3) daily users (n = 121). Categorical comparisons were conducted on working memory, attention, behavioral inhibition, delay and probability discounting, verbal intelligence, and ADHD symptoms. Complementary dimensional analyses examined cannabis severity in relation to neurocognition using regressions. Covariates were age, race, sex, income, years of education, tobacco use, and alcohol use.Results:Frequency of cannabis use was significantly associated with poorer working memory performance, more impulsive delay discounting, and greater endorsement of ADHD symptoms, but not other domains. Effect sizes were small and poorer performance was selectively present among daily, not occasional, cannabis users. Earlier age of initiation was not independently or interactively associated with neurocognitive performance.Conclusions:Daily cannabis use was selectively adversely associated with aspects of memory, impulsivity, and subjective attentional functioning, but most cognitive indicators were not implicated, and evidence of amplification by earlier age of initiation was not observed. Ascertaining causal versus consequential roles of cannabis in neurocognitive functioning is an important priority.

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Attachment, Emotion Dysregulation and Physical IPV in Predominantly Hispanic, Young Adult Couples

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18147241 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (14) ◽

pp. 7241

Author(s):

Deanna L. Pollard ◽

Arthur Cantos

Keyword(s):

Partner Violence ◽

Emotion Dysregulation ◽

Attachment Anxiety ◽

Insecure Attachment ◽

Heterosexual Couples ◽

Predominantly Hispanic ◽

Female Partners ◽

Ipv Perpetration ◽

Hispanic Serving ◽

Reported Data

Insecure attachment has been found to be a risk factor for perpetrating physical intimate partner violence (IPV). However, this association is likely exacerbated by additional factors, such as conflicting insecure attachment in one’s partner and difficulties with overall emotion regulation and impulse control. The present study aimed to examine the associations between insecure attachment and physical IPV perpetration in male and female partners, as well as to examine whether these associations are exacerbated by involvement with a partner with opposing attachment needs and overall emotion dysregulation and impulsivity. Additionally, this study examined whether partners’ emotion dysregulation interacted to predict IPV. Two hundred eight heterosexual couples primarily recruited from a Hispanic-serving university completed questionnaires on attachment, emotion dysregulation, and one’s own and one’s partner’s perpetration. Results revealed that attachment anxiety, impulsivity, and an interaction effect between attachment avoidance and partner’s attachment anxiety were associated with self-reported, but not partner-reported, male perpetration. For females, attachment anxiety was associated with female IPV (self-reported and partner-reported), and impulsivity was associated with self-reported female IPV. Overall, results underscore how relationships between known risk factors and IPV perpetration may differ depending on if IPV perpetration is measured using self-reported or partner-reported data. Additional results and implications are discussed.

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