Abstract
Objectives. To estimate the prevalence of subjective memory complaints (SMCs) in a sample of community-dwelling, older adults and to examine cognitive bases of these complaints. Participants. 499 community-dwelling adults, 65 and older. Measurements. A telephone survey consisting of cognitive tests and clinical and sociodemographic variables. SMCs were based on subjects' evaluations and subjects' perceptions of others' evaluations. Analysis. Logistic regression was used to model the risk for SMCs as a function of the cognitive, clinical, and sociodemographic variables. We tested for interactions of the cognitive variables with age, education, and gender. Results. 27.1% reported memory complaints. Among the younger age, better objective memory performance predicted lower risk for SMCs, while among the older age, better memory had no effect on risk. Among the better-educated people, better global cognitive functioning predicted lower risk for SMCs, while among the less-educated people, better global cognitive functioning had no effect on SMC risk. When predicting others' perceptions, better objective memory was associated with lower risk for SMCs. Conclusion. Objective memory performance and global cognitive functioning are associated with lower risk for SMCs, but these relationships are the strongest for the younger age and those with more education, respectively. Age and education may affect the ability to accurately appraise cognitive functioning.
Highlights
Older adults often report that they are concerned about their memory and some bring these complaints to their primary care providers (PCPs)
26.5% of subjects reported that their memory is somewhat of a problem, while 0.6% reported that they have a serious problem with their memory
In terms of others’ perceptions, 36.0% of subjects indicated that others thought the subjects were sometimes forgetful, while 2.3% reported that others thought they were often forgetful
Summary
Older adults often report that they are concerned about their memory and some bring these complaints to their primary care providers (PCPs). There is evidence that measures of subjective and objective memory are correlated, but the magnitude of the association is usually small [1] Sociodemographic variables, such as age, education, and gender, have been reported as predictors of SMCs. Older adults, women, and those with less education more often report SMCs than younger adults, men, and those with more education [1]. Women, and those with less education more often report SMCs than younger adults, men, and those with more education [1] This may be because advancing age is associated with cognitive impairment; women, more often than men, report their health concerns; and those with more education may be better able to accurately appraise their cognitive functioning than those with less education [1, 4].
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