Positive and Negative Experiences of Social Support and Risk of Dementia in Later Life: An Investigation Using the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

Abstract Objectives Social relationships are important for the maintenance of cognitive function at older ages, with both objective features of social networks and perceived social connections (loneliness) being relevant. There is limited evidence about how different aspects of social experience predict diagnosed dementia. Methods The sample comprised 6,677 dementia-free individuals at baseline (2004) from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Baseline information on loneliness, number of close relationships, marital status, and social isolation (contact with family and friends and participation in organizations) was analyzed in relation to incident dementia over an average 6.25 years using Cox regression, controlling for potential confounding factors. Results Two hundred twenty participants developed dementia during follow-up. In multivariable analyses, dementia risk was positively related to greater loneliness (hazard ratio 1.40, 95% confidence interval 1.09–1.80, p = .008), and inversely associated with number of close relationships (p < .001) and being married (p = .018). Sensitivity analyses testing for reverse causality and different criteria for diagnosing dementia confirmed the robustness of these findings. There was no association with social isolation. Discussion Dementia risk is associated with loneliness and having fewer close relationships in later life. The underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated, but efforts to enhance older peoples’ relationship quality may be relevant to dementia risk.

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P06 Correlates of level and loss of grip strength in later life: findings from the english longitudinal study of ageing and the hertfordshire cohort study

10.1136/jech-2017-ssmabstracts.108 ◽

2017 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

LD Westbury ◽

HE Syddall ◽

EM Dennison ◽

C Cooper ◽

CR Gale

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Grip Strength ◽

Later Life ◽

Hertfordshire Cohort Study ◽

English Longitudinal Study

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Psychological well-being and incident frailty in men and women: the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291713001384 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 44 (4) ◽

pp. 697-706 ◽

Cited By ~ 66

Author(s):

C. R. Gale ◽

C. Cooper ◽

I. J. Deary ◽

A. Aihie Sayer

Keyword(s):

Longitudinal Study ◽

Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽

Later Life ◽

Well Being ◽

Relative Risk Ratio ◽

Future Research ◽

Physical Frailty ◽

Psychological Well Being ◽

Men And Women ◽

English Longitudinal Study

BackgroundObservations that older people who enjoy life more tend to live longer suggest that psychological well-being may be a potential resource for healthier ageing. We investigated whether psychological well-being was associated with incidence of physical frailty.MethodWe used multinomial logistic regression to examine the prospective relationship between psychological well-being, assessed using the CASP-19, a questionnaire that assesses perceptions of control, autonomy, self-realization and pleasure, and incidence of physical frailty or pre-frailty, defined according to the Fried criteria (unintentional weight loss, weakness, self-reported exhaustion, slow walking speed and low physical activity), in 2557 men and women aged 60 to ⩾90 years from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA).ResultsMen and women with higher levels of psychological well-being were less likely to become frail over the 4-year follow-up period. For a standard deviation higher score in psychological well-being at baseline, the relative risk ratio (RR) for incident frailty, adjusted for age, sex and baseline frailty status, was 0.46 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.40–0.54]. There was a significant association between psychological well-being and risk of pre-frailty (RR 0.69, 95% CI 0.63–0.77). Examination of scores for hedonic (pleasure) and eudaimonic (control, autonomy and self-realization) well-being showed that higher scores on both were associated with decreased risk. Associations were partially attenuated by further adjustment for other potential confounding factors but persisted. Incidence of pre-frailty or frailty was associated with a decline in well-being, suggesting that the relationship is bidirectional.ConclusionsMaintaining a stronger sense of psychological well-being in later life may protect against the development of physical frailty. Future research needs to establish the mechanisms underlying these findings.

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Social support, social strain and declines in verbal memory: 16-year follow-up of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing cohort

10.1101/2021.05.29.21258037 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Shaun Scholes ◽

Jing Liao

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Relationship Quality ◽

Social Relations ◽

Verbal Memory ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Word Recall ◽

Relationship Type ◽

Social Strain ◽

English Longitudinal Study

Objective: Estimate differences in the rate of decline in verbal memory by levels of perceived relationship quality among community-dwelling adults. Participants: In the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), n = 10,109 participants aged 50-89 years were assessed at wave 1 (baseline: 2002-03) and followed-up over 16 years to wave 9 (2017-18). Methods: Verbal memory was assessed biennially by tests of immediate and delayed word-recall. Positive and negative aspects of perceived relationship quality (social support and strain, respectively) were measured by relationship type (spouse; children; extended family members; friends). Random effects within-between (REWB) modelling was used to separate between- and within-person effects. Associations were estimated between levels of social support/strain and (i) baseline levels of memory (main effects), and (ii) the 2-year decline in memory (interaction with time). Results: Longitudinal associations were most prominent for men, specific to relationship type, and showed between- rather than within-person effects. Among men, higher spousal strain was associated with faster decline in memory (βbetween-effect-by-time = -0.043; 95% CI: -0.084, -0.002; p = 0.039), whilst greater support from children was associated with slower decline (βbetween-effect-by-time = 0.020; 95% CI: 0.002, 0.039; p = 0.033). Men with higher levels of strain from friends had lower baseline memory (βbetween-effect = -0.382; 95% CI: -0.627, -0.137; p = 0.002) and showed faster decline (βbetween-effect-by-time = -0.047; 95% CI: -0.095, 0.000; p = 0.051). Conclusions: Differences between persons in levels of social support and social strain were modestly associated with the rate of memory decline, especially among men. Our findings can inform future research studies and intervention strategies designed to maximise the potential of social relations to promote healthy cognitive ageing.

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Associations between social support and verbal memory: 14-year follow-up of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing cohort

10.1101/2020.07.02.20145037 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Shaun Scholes ◽

Jing Liao

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Verbal Memory ◽

Extended Family ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Rate Of Change ◽

Word Recall ◽

Longitudinal Associations ◽

Positive Social Support ◽

English Longitudinal Study

AbstractObjectiveExamine the longitudinal associations between social support and verbal memory among community-dwelling adults.ParticipantsIn the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, 10,837 participants aged 50-89 years were assessed at wave 1 (baseline: 2002-03) and followed-up over 14-years to wave 8 (2016-17).MethodsVerbal memory was assessed at each wave by tests of immediate and delayed word-recall. Positive and negative social support were measured across four types of relationship (spouse/partner, children, friends, extended family). Linear mixed effects modelling examined the between-person (PM) and within-person (PM) associations between social support and verbal memory. Interaction terms were fitted to estimate differences in the rate of change in verbal memory by social support.ResultsWhen we summed scores across all relationships (global social support), higher-than-average (PM) positive social support was associated with higher baseline verbal memory (βPM = 0.015; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.008, 0.025; p < 0.001) and with slower decline (βPM-by-time = 0.003; 95% CI: 0.001, 0.005; p = 0.003). Longitudinal associations were gender- and source-specific. Among men, slower decline in verbal memory was associated with higher positive social support from children (βPM-by-time = 0.009; 95% CI: 0.002, 0.016; p = 0.011) and with lower negative social support from spouse/partner (βPM-by- time = −0.016; 95% CI: −0.031, 0.000; p = 0.045) and from friends (βPM-by-time = −0.021; 95% CI: −0.039, −0.004; p = 0.018). Among women, higher positive social support from extended family was associated with slower decline in verbal memory (βPM-by-time = 0.008; 95% CI: 0.000, 0.015; p = 0.049).ConclusionsBetween-person differences in social support were modestly associated with differential decline in verbal memory. Our findings can inform future research studies and intervention strategies designed to maximise the potential role of supportive relationships in promoting healthy cognitive ageing.

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