Abstract
Loneliness has been investigated as a risk factor for cognitive health, but results were inconsistent. This study used three measurement bursts of ambulatory cognitive assessment to determine whether loneliness affects longitudinal changes in cognitive functioning in daily life. At each burst, participants performed cognitive assessment five times a day for 14 days. 138 adults (Mage=49.4) who completed all three bursts were included in this study.Growth curve modeling showed that, on average, scores of cognitive functioning were improved across a 2 year period (p<.001). The chronic lonely group (in the highest tertile at all 3 bursts) showed less improvement in scores compared to non-lonely people (p<.01), although there was no difference in cognitive functioning at the baseline between two groups. This study indicates that we need a repeated measurement of cognitive functioning and longitudinal approach to detect the effect of chronic loneliness on the rate of cognitive change. Part of a symposium sponsored by the Measurement, Statistics, and Research Design Interest Group.
Highlights
Diagnosing the early onset of neuropathologies, such as mild cognitive impairment (MCI), requires repeated evaluation of cognitive skills several times per year -- a measurement design known as a “burst design.” Detecting the often subtle cognitive decline in the presence of retest effects requires careful statistical modeling
We evaluated whether loneliness was associated with profiles of objective and subjective memory in younger and middle-aged adults
Part of a symposium sponsored by the Measurement, Statistics, and Research Design Interest Group
Summary
Diagnosing the early onset of neuropathologies, such as mild cognitive impairment (MCI), requires repeated evaluation of cognitive skills several times per year -- a measurement design known as a “burst design.” Detecting the often subtle cognitive decline in the presence of retest effects requires careful statistical modeling. Loneliness is a risk factor for dementia, it’s relationship with cognitive health during midlife is unclear. We evaluated whether loneliness was associated with profiles of objective and subjective memory in younger and middle-aged adults.
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