Abstract
BackgroundSocial networks are associated with better cognitive health in older people, but the role of specific aspects of the social network remains unclear. This is especially the case in Central and Eastern Europe. This study examined associations between three aspects of the social network (network size of friends and relatives, contact frequency with friends and relatives, and social activity participation) with cognitive functions (verbal memory, learning ability, verbal fluency, processing speed, and global cognitive function) in older Czech, Polish, and Russian adults.MethodsLinear regression estimated associations between baseline social networks and cognitive domains measured at both baseline and follow-up (mean duration of follow-up, 3.5 ± 0.7 years) in 6691 participants (mean age, 62.2 ± 6.0 years; 53.7% women) from the Health, Alcohol and Psychosocial factors In Eastern Europe (HAPIEE) study.ResultsCross-sectional analyses, adjusted for country, age, and sex, showed positive associations of global cognitive function with social activity participation and network size of friends and relatives, but not with contact frequency in either network. Further adjustment for sociodemographic, behavioural, and health characteristics attenuated the associations with network size of relatives (P-trend = 0.074) but not with network size of friends (P-trend = 0.036) or social activities (P-trend< 0.001). In prospective analyses, network size and social activity participation were also linked with better cognition in simple models, but the associations were much stronger for social activities (P-trend< 0.001) than for network size of friends (P-trend = 0.095) and relatives (P-trend = 0.425). Adjustment for baseline cognition largely explained the prospective associations with network size of friends (P-trend = 0.787) and relatives (P-trend = 0.815), but it only slightly attenuated the association with social activities (P-trend< 0.001). The prospective effect of social activities was largely explained by sociodemographic, health behavioural, and health covariates (P-trend = 0.233). Analyses of specific cognitive domains generally replicated the cross-sectional and prospective findings for global cognitive function.ConclusionsOlder Central and Eastern European adults with larger social networks and greater social activities participation had better cognitive function, but these associations were stronger at baseline than over the short-term follow-up.
Highlights
Social networks are associated with better cognitive health in older people, but the role of specific aspects of the social network remains unclear
Using data from a population-based prospective study of ageing in the Czech Republic, Poland, and Russia, this study investigated the cross-sectional and prospective associations between social network size, frequency of contact with social network members and social activity participation with global cognitive function and four specific cognitive domains
While this contradicts a recent systematic review which found that both measures predicted better global cognitive function, memory, and executive function, irrespective of the length of follow-up [31], another up-to-date appraisal of long-term (> 10 years) studies found that social activity participation had a greater protective influence on dementia risk than network size [32]
Summary
Social networks are associated with better cognitive health in older people, but the role of specific aspects of the social network remains unclear. This is especially the case in Central and Eastern Europe. This study examined associations between three aspects of the social network (network size of friends and relatives, contact frequency with friends and relatives, and social activity participation) with cognitive functions (verbal memory, learning ability, verbal fluency, processing speed, and global cognitive function) in older Czech, Polish, and Russian adults. Social relationships endure various changes including the migration of children, family members, and friends; a dwindling number of social network members due to death or infirmity; and individual factors such as declining states of health which can inhibit social engagement [2]. Quality of network ties is reflected by the frequency of organisational participation, as well as the level of contact, reciprocity, and social support between members, among other attributes [3]
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