Stressful life events and cognitive decline: Sex differences in the Baltimore Epidemiologic Catchment Area Follow‐Up Study

Abstract

Introduction: The reasons why women are at higher risk than men for developing dementia are unclear. Although studies implicate sex differences in the effect of stress on cognitive functioning, whether stressful life events are associated with subsequent cognitive decline has received scant research attention. Methods:In Wave 3 (1993)(1994)(1995)(1996) of the Baltimore Epidemiologic Catchment Area study, 337 men and 572 women (mean age = 47 years) reported recent (within the last year) and remote (from 1981 until 1 year ago) traumatic events (eg, combat) and stressful life events (eg, divorce/separation). At Waves 3 and 4 (2004-2005), they completed the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and a word-list memory test. Multivariable models were used to examine the association between traumatic and stressful life events at Wave 3 and cognitive change by Wave 4. Results: A greater number of recent stressful life events at Wave 3, but not of more remote stressful events, was associated with greater verbal memory decline by Wave 4 in women but not in men. Stressful events were not associated with change in MMSE, and there were no associations between traumatic events occurring at any time and subsequent memory or MMSE decline in either sex. Conclusions: Unlike men, middle-aged women with a greater number of recent stressful life events demonstrate memory decline over a decade later. Sex differences in cognitive vulnerability to stressful life events may underlie women's increased risk of memory impairment in late life, suggesting that stress reduction interventions may help prevent cognitive decline in women.

Traumatic and stressful life events in hoarding: the role of loss and deprivation

“…in child and adolescent years) can have singular repercussions on neurobiological systems that may be implicated in attachment regulation, e.g. the HPA axis (Gerritsen et al, 2010;Kidd, Hamer, & Steptoe, 2013) There is also epidemiological evidence suggesting that middle-aged women with a greater number of recent SLEs demonstrate memory decline over a decade later (Munro et al, 2019).…”

Groundhog Day: research without old data and old references

“…It examined the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in the American general population in a sample of 20 000 adults systematically recruited from residential and institutional sources in urban and rural settings, using structured interviews to assess psychiatric disorders according to established diagnostic criteria. The database from this classic study has been utilized for secondary analysis of a vast array of topics in articles published to this very year on many topics, including mood disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder, panic attacks, alcohol and drug dependence, homelessness, antisocial personality disorder, homosexuality, gastrointestinal disease, diabetes, cancer, asthma, stroke, Parkinson's disease, head injury, headaches, sleep disturbance, stress and cognition, obesity, suicidality, social support, healthcare utilization, and mortality (Crum, Storr, Chan, & Ford, 2004; Edwards & Mezuk, 2012; Fleury, Grenier, Bamvita, Perreault, & Caron, 2014; Glass & Bucholz, 2011; Goodwin & Eaton, 2005; Gross, Gallo, & Eaton, 2010; Henriksen, Mather, Mackenzie, Bienvenu, & Sareen, 2014; Krasnova, Eaton, & Samuels, 2019; Kubzansky, Koenen, Jones, & Eaton, 2009; Larson, Owens, Ford, & Eaton, 2001; Lauterbach, Freeman, & Vogel, 2004; Maulik, Eaton, & Bradshaw, 2009; Mezuk, Lohman, Dumenci, & Lapane, 2013; Munro et al, 2019; North, Alpers, Thompson, & Spitznagel, 1996; North, Dinwiddie, Cottler, & Spitznagel, 1991; North, Eyrich, Pollio, & Spitznagel, 2004; North, Kotamarti, & Pollio, 2021; Ramsey, Leoutsakos, Mayer, Eaton, & Lee, 2010; Silver, Kramer, Greenwald, & Weissman, 2001; Woolley, Fredman, Goethe, Lincoln, & Heeren, 2008).…”

Life-Course Trauma and Later Life Mental, Physical, and Cognitive Health in a Postapartheid South African Population: Findings From the HAALSI study

“…Prior research has suggested that older adults may be more likely to experience TEs with increasing age (Creamer & Parslow, 2008) and exhibit greater stress symptoms in response to recent traumas (Kimhi et al, 2012). Cumulative exposure to trauma has also been shown to accelerate age-related declines in physical functioning, cognition, mobility, and self-rated health among older individuals (Blanchette et al, 2019;Krause et al, 2004;Munro et al, 2019) and is related to depressive symptoms and lower life satisfaction among older adults (Ciarleglio et al, 2018;Keinan et al, 2012). However, the bulk of this evidence is from high-income countries.…”