Memory Deficits Precede Increases in Depressive Symptoms in Later Adulthood

Stephen AichelePhD, Paolo GhislettaPhD and Shevaun NeupertPhDDecision Editor

The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 2019, vol. 74, issue 6, 943-953

Abstract: ObjectivesWe examined bidirectional, time-ordered associations between age-related changes in depressive symptoms and memory.MethodData came from 107,599 community-dwelling adults, aged 49–90 years, who participated in the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Depressive symptoms were measured with the EURO-D inventory, and memory was evaluated as delayed recall of a 10-word list. Participants were assessed up to five times at 2-year intervals. Dynamic structural equation models were used to estimate longitudinal and time-ordered (lead-lag) relations between depressive symptoms and memory performance.ResultsDepressive symptoms increased and memory scores decreased across the observed age range, with worsening mostly evident after age 62 years. These long-term changes were moderately negatively correlated (r = −.53, p < .001). A time-ordered effect emerged such that age-specific memory deficits preceded shorter-term increases in depression symptoms. This effect can be translated such that each 1-point decrement on a 10-point memory scale at a given age predicted a 14.5% increased risk for depression two years later. Statistical adjustment for covariates (sex, education, re-test, smoking, and body mass index) had little influence on these associations.ConclusionIn later adulthood, lower memory performance at a given age predicts subsequent 2-year increases in depressive symptoms.

Keywords: Bi-directional; Depression; Longitudinal change; Memory (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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The Journals of Gerontology: Series B is currently edited by Psychological Sciences - S. Duke Han, PhD and Social Sciences - Jessica A Kelley, PhD, FGSA

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