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The roles of study setting, response bias, and personality in subjective memory complaints of cognitively normal older adults

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 March 2020

Sarah M. Goldberg Open the ORCID record for Sarah M. Goldberg [Opens in a new window] ,
Oscar L. Lopez ,
Ann D. Cohen ,
William E. Klunk ,
Howard A. Aizenstein ,
Akiko Mizuno  and
Beth E. Snitz
Sarah M. Goldberg
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Oscar L. Lopez
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Ann D. Cohen
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
William E. Klunk
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Howard A. Aizenstein
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Akiko Mizuno
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Beth E. Snitz*
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Beth E. Snitz, Ph.D., Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh, 3501 Forbes Avenue, Suite 830, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. Phone: +412.692.4820. Fax: +412.692.4031. Email: snitzbe@upmc.edu.
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Abstract

Objectives:

This study investigated subjective memory complaints in older adults and the roles of setting, response bias, and personality.

Design:

Cognitively normal older adults from two settings completed questionnaires measuring memory complaints, response bias, and personality.

Settings:

(A) Neuroimaging study with community-based recruitment and (B) academic memory clinic.

Participants:

Cognitively normal older adults who (A) volunteer for research (N = 92) or (B) self-referred to a memory clinic (N = 20).

Measurements:

Neuropsychological evaluation and adjudication of normal cognitive status were done by the neuroimaging study or memory clinic. This study administered self-reports of subjective memory complaints, response bias, five-factor personality, and depressive symptoms. Primary group differences were examined with secondary sensitivity analyses to control for sex, age, and education differences.

Results:

There was no significant difference in over-reporting response bias between study settings. Under-reporting response bias was higher in volunteers. Cognitive complaints were associated with response bias for two cognitive complaint measures. Neuroticism was positively associated with over-reporting in evaluation-seekers and negatively associated with under-reporting in volunteers. The relationship was reversed for Extraversion. Under-reporting bias was positively correlated with Agreeableness and Conscientiousness in volunteers.

Conclusion:

Evaluation-seekers do not show bias toward over-reporting symptoms compared to volunteers. Under-reporting response bias may be important to consider when screening for memory impairment in non-help-seeking settings. The Memory Functioning Questionnaire was less sensitive to reporting biases. Over-reporting may be a facet of higher Neuroticism. Findings help elucidate psychological influences on self-perceived cognitive decline and help seeking in aging and may inform different strategies for assessment by setting.

Keywords

agingmemorycognitive assessmentrisk factorspsychogeriatrics
Type
Original Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 33 , Special Issue 7: Issue Theme: Cognitive Aging: Subjective and Objective , July 2021 , pp. 665 - 676
Copyright
© International Psychogeriatric Association 2020

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