The Paradoxical Effect of Living Alone on Cognitive Reserve and Mild Cognitive Impairment among Women Aged 60+ in Mexico City

Antonio R. Villa, Elsa Guerrero, Ana M. Villa, Rosalinda Sánchez-Arenas, María Araceli Ortiz-Rodríguez, Vania Contreras-Sánchez, María Alonso-Catalán, Benjamín Guerrero-López, Ingrid Vargas-Huicochea, Germán E. Fajardo-Dolci and Claudia Díaz-Olavarrieta
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Antonio R. Villa: Research Division, Faculty of Medicine, National Autonomous University of Mexico, 3000 Ave. Universidad, Copilco Universidad, Coyoacán, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
Elsa Guerrero: University Program of Health Research, National Autonomous University of Mexico, 3000 Ave. Universidad, Copilco Universidad, Coyoacán, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
Ana M. Villa: Research Division, Faculty of Medicine, National Autonomous University of Mexico, 3000 Ave. Universidad, Copilco Universidad, Coyoacán, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
Rosalinda Sánchez-Arenas: Epidemiology and Health Services Research Unit, CMN Siglo XXI, Mexican Institute of Social Security, Mexico City 06720, Mexico
María Araceli Ortiz-Rodríguez: Faculty of Nutrition, Autonomous University of the State of Morelos, Cuernavaca 62350, Mexico
Vania Contreras-Sánchez: Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Faculty of Medicine, National Autonomous University of Mexico, 3000 Ave. Universidad, Copilco Universidad, Coyoacán, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
María Alonso-Catalán: Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Faculty of Medicine, National Autonomous University of Mexico, 3000 Ave. Universidad, Copilco Universidad, Coyoacán, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
Benjamín Guerrero-López: Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Faculty of Medicine, National Autonomous University of Mexico, 3000 Ave. Universidad, Copilco Universidad, Coyoacán, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
Ingrid Vargas-Huicochea: Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Faculty of Medicine, National Autonomous University of Mexico, 3000 Ave. Universidad, Copilco Universidad, Coyoacán, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
Germán E. Fajardo-Dolci: Faculty of Medicine, National Autonomous University of Mexico, 3000 Ave. Universidad, Copilco Universidad, Coyoacán, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
Claudia Díaz-Olavarrieta: Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Faculty of Medicine, National Autonomous University of Mexico, 3000 Ave. Universidad, Copilco Universidad, Coyoacán, Mexico City 04510, Mexico

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 20, 1-12

Abstract: An elderly person who lives alone must often be autonomous and self-sufficient in daily living activities. We explored if living alone and marital status were associated with mild cognitive impairment and low cognitive reserve in a sample of Mexican women aged 60+ attending continuing education courses using a cross-sectional design. Objective cognitive functions were assessed using the MMSE and Blessed Dementia Scale. We administered the Cognitive Reserve Questionnaire. Independence skills were assessed with the Katz index and Lawton index. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used. We recruited 269 participants ( x ¯ = 69.0 ± 5.8 years). Single, widowed, separated, and divorced women comprised 73% of the participants. A third lived alone and 84% had completed high school. Mild cognitive deficit was observed among 24.5–29.0%; the upper range for cognitive reserve was 61.7%. Living alone versus living with someone was associated with cognitive impairment (OR = 0.51, p = 0.04) and with low to medium cognitive reserve (OR = 0.51, p = 0.02) after adjusting for confounding variables. Living alone was an independent factor associated with a lower probability of displaying mild cognitive impairment and a higher probability of displaying high cognitive reserve. Women living alone in this study had a more robust cognitive framework and had built their own support networks.

Keywords: cognitive reserve; living alone; cognitive impairment; elderly women; Mexico (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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