2 results
Social connections and risk of incident mild cognitive impairment, dementia, and mortality in 13 longitudinal cohort studies of ageing
- Gowsaly Mahalingam, Suraj Samtani, Ben Chun Pan Lam, Darren M Lipnicki, Maria Fernanda Lima-Costa, Sergio Luis Blay, Erico Castro-Costa, Xiao Shifu, Maëlenn Guerchet, Pierre-Marie Preux, Antoine Gbessemehlan, Ingmar Skoog, Jenna Najar, Therese Rydberg Sterner, Nikolaos Scarmeas, Mary Yannakoulia, Themis Dardiotis, Ki-Woong Kim, Steffi Riedel-Heller, Susanne Röhr, Alexander Pabst, Suzana Shahar, Katya Numbers, Mary Ganguli, Tiffany F. Hughes, Ching-Chou H. Chang, Michael Crowe, Tze Pin Ng, Xinyi Gwee, Denise Qian Ling Chua, representatives from SHARED work packages, Joanna Rymaszewska, Karin Wolf-Ostermann, Anna-Karin Welmer, Jean Stafford, Myrra Vernooij-Dassen, Yun-Hee Jeon, Perminder S Sachdev, Henry Brodaty
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- Journal:
- International Psychogeriatrics / Volume 35 / Issue S1 / December 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 02 February 2024, pp. 16-17
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Background:
Good social connections are proposed to positively influence the course of cognitive decline by stimulating cognitive reserve and buffering harmful stress-related health effects. Prior meta-analytic research has uncovered links between social connections and the risk of poor health outcomes such as mild cognitive impairment, dementia, and mortality. These studies have primarily used aggregate data from North America and Europe with limited markers of social connections. Further research is required to explore these associations longitudinally across a wider range of social connection markers in a global setting.
Research Objective:We examined the associations between social connection structure, function, and quality and the risk of our primary outcomes (mild cognitive impairment, dementia, and mortality).
Method:Individual participant-level data were obtained from 13 longitudinal studies of ageing from across the globe. We conducted survival analysis using Cox regression models and combined estimates from each study using two-stage meta-analysis. We examined three social constructs: connection structure (living situation, relationship status, interactions with friends/family, community group engagement), function (social support, having a confidante) and quality (relationship satisfaction, loneliness) in relation to the risks of three primary outcomes (mild cognitive impairment, dementia, and mortality). In our partially adjusted models, we included age, sex, and education and in fully adjusted models used these variables as well as diabetes, hypertension, smoking, cardiovascular risk, and depression.
Preliminary results of the ongoing study:In our fully adjusted models we observed: a lower risk of mild cognitive impairment was associated with being married/in a relationship (vs. being single), weekly community group engagement (vs. no engagement), weekly family/friend interactions (vs. not interacting), and never feeling lonely (vs. often feeling lonely); a lower risk of dementia was associated with monthly/weekly family/friend interactions and having a confidante (vs. no confidante); a lower risk of mortality was associated with living with others (vs. living alone), yearly/monthly/weekly community group engagement, and having a confidante.
Conclusion:Good social connection structure, function, and quality are associated with reduced risk of incident MCI, dementia, and mortality. Our results provide actionable evidence that social connections are required for healthy ageing.
330 - Depression and Anxiety among Older people in Central Africa: Results of the EPIDEMCA population-based study
- Maëlenn Guerchet, Antoine Gbessemehlan, Caroline Adou, Jean-Pierre Clément, Bébène Ndamba-Bandzouzi, Pascal Mbelesso, Dismand Houinato, Pierre-Marie Preux
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- Journal:
- International Psychogeriatrics / Volume 32 / Issue S1 / October 2020
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 04 November 2020, p. 89
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Introduction:
Depression and anxiety are two very common psychiatric disorders in late-life. They are markers of poor quality of life and are strongly associated with death among older people. Yet, few studies on these comorbidities have been conducted in the African population. This study aims to present the epidemiology of depression and anxiety among older people in Central Africa.
Method:A cross-sectional population-based study was carried out in Republic of Congo (ROC) and Central African Republic (CAR) between 2011 - 2012 among older people aged ? 65 years (EPIDEMCA study). Data were collected using a standardized questionnaire and participants underwent a brief physical examination. Depression and anxiety symptoms were ascertained using a community version of the Geriatric Mental State (GMS-B3) and the Automated Geriatric Examination for Computer Assisted Taxonomy diagnostic system (AGECAT), probable cases were defined as having a GMS-AGECAT level of 3 or more. Logistic regression models were used to investigate the association between potential risk factors collected and each symptom.
Results:Overall 2002 participants were included in the EPIDEMCA study (500 in Brazzaville and 529 in Gamboma in ROC, 500 in Bangui and 473 in Nola (473) in CAR). Median age of the participants was 72 years [interquartile range: 68 – 78 years] and females were mostly represented (61.8%). Prevalence was 38.1% (95% Confidence Interval: 35.9% - 40.2%) for depression, 7.7% (95% CI: 6.5% - 8.9%) for anxiety and 5.7% (95% CI: 4.6% - 6.7%) for the co-occurrence of both disorders. For all three outcomes, prevalence was significantly higher among females and in rural areas. Only depression increased with age. Preliminary analyses showed that female sex, living in a rural area, and living without a partner were associated with the three outcomes (Odds Ratios from 1.59 to 3.27; p<0.01). In-depth results regarding correlates of depression, anxiety and the co-occurrence of both will be presented.
Conclusion:The prevalence of depression and anxiety was high among Central African older people. Evidence on the epidemiology of these common psychiatric symptoms are of importance for care management and also emphasize the need to maintain and/or strengthen social support around older people in the region.