Health Factors as Potential Mediators of the Longitudinal Effect of Loneliness on General Cognitive Ability

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Higher levels of loneliness in older adulthood predict cognitive decline, but research on mediating mechanisms is sparse. We examine multisystemic physiological risk, functional ability, self-rated health, depressive symptoms, and social participation as mediating processes for the association between loneliness and general cognitive ability over a 10-year follow-up in an older adult sample. METHODS: Three waves of data from 3,005 individuals (mean intake age: 69.30 (SD: 7.85) years; female = 51.61%) recruited during Wave 1 of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project were used to test whether hypothesized mediators collected at the 5-year follow-up explained effects of baseline loneliness on 10-year general cognitive ability. RESULTS: The relationship between baseline loneliness and 10-year general cognitive ability was not mediated by multisystemic physiological risk. Functional ability (β =-0.24, SE = 0.05, p < .001), self-rated health (β=-0.08, SE = 0.02, p < .001), depressive symptoms (β=-0.20, SE = 0.05, p < .001), and social participation (β =-0.03, SE = 0.01, p = .016) significantly mediated effects. Indirect effects remained significant after adjusting for demographic covariates and 5year general cognitive ability, except social participation. DISCUSSION: Loneliness may influence cognitive ability indirectly, signaling waning physical and psychiatric health more proximally correlated with cognitive ability. These mechanisms may serve as targets of intervention for cognitive maintenance in lonely older adults. (217/250)

Association of loneliness, social isolation, and daily cognitive function in Mexican older adults living in community during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic

“…Older adults with the lowest report of loneliness were found in the lowest E-Cog scores, that is, those who referred loneliness during lockdown had a worse performance in the global E-Cog score. These findings coincide with those reported by Kim, Beam, Greenberg, and Burke (2020) who points out that loneliness predicts worse performance in several cognitive domains such as immediate memory, visuospatial skills, and processing speed (Kim et al, 2020).…”

“…In animal models, these findings have been related to alterations in the CA2 region of the hippocampus, (Leser & Wagner, 2015;Mumtaz et al, 2018) therefore, it is plausible to detect social isolation as an additional risk factor for cognitive impairment. In general, social interaction generates demands that protect and maintain cognition, leaving isolated people vulnerable to impaired cognition (Burns et al, 2020;Kim et al, 2020). Thus, we propose that social isolation in the participants of our study comes from an emergent situation as part of the preventive measures of contagion.…”

“…However, this condition of physical distancing does not imply the deprivation of the feeling of accompaniment, protection or closeness to people in the form of an emotional connection as it occurs when experiencing loneliness. That is, the significant effects of loneliness, conceptualized as (self-perceived) social isolation, on general cognitive function can be found together but not always (Burns et al, 2020;Kim et al, 2020).…”

Why Loneliness Matters in Clinical Practice: A Primer for Clinical- and Neuro-Psychologists.

“…These findings suggest that loneliness is a modifiable treatment target that could reduce the risk of dementia. Studies are now aimed at getting a better understanding of the precise mechanisms through which loneliness contributes to cognitive decline and dementia (e.g., via increased stress, depression, poor sleep, elevated blood pressure or physical inactivity) (Kim et al, 2020;Wilson & Bennett, 2017).…”

Is There an Association Between Untreated Hearing Loss and Psychosocial Outcomes?

“…Loneliness is associated with depressive symptoms ( Cacioppo et al, 2006 , 2010 ; Zebhauser et al, 2014 ), reduced physical activity ( Hawkley et al, 2009 ), decreased satisfaction with life ( Zebhauser et al, 2014 ; Bai and Knapp, 2016 ) and poor subjective wellbeing ( Pinquart and Sörensen, 2003 ). Loneliness has also been associated with cognitive impairment ( Donovan et al, 2017 ; Kim et al, 2020 ), increased risk of dementia ( Zhou et al, 2018 ) and cardiovascular disease, diabetes and migraine ( Christiansen et al, 2016 ). Social isolation has been associated with falls, re-hospitalization, cardiac heart disease, cancer, and nutritional risk ( Nicholson, 2012 ).…”