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Description
Purpose: Subjective cognitive decline (SCD), or perceived decline in cognition, is a precursor to mild cognitive impairment, a prodrome of Alzheimer’s disease. SCD’s predictive utility is limited as it is impacted by multiple psychosocial factors. Expectations regarding aging among older adults have been linked to self-efficacy and health-related outcomes; however, their relationship with SCD is unknown. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the relationships between older adults’ aging expectations regarding physical, mental, and cognitive health, and SCD.
Methods: An online survey of community-dwelling adults aged 65 years or older (n=582, M(SD)=71.36(4.80)) with no history of dementia or cognitive impairment was conducted in the United States. Measures included the Expectations Regarding Aging scale (ERA-12), the Everyday Cognition scale (ECog-12), as well as demographics and self-reported health. General linear models demonstrated relationships between the physical, mental, and cognitive expectations subscales of the ERA-12 and ECog-12 scores.
Results:All three domains of aging expectations regarding physical health (b(SE)=-0.033(0.007), p
Conclusion: Older adults' aging expectations were predictive of subjective cognitive decline (SCD) across all domains, indicating a broader impact beyond cognitive function alone. Future research should explore whether this relationship holds in other patient populations, including middle-aged adults and different ethnic groups and whether interventions to modify aging expectations may promote positive perceptions of cognitive function among older adults, which can improve cognitive outcomes.
Publication Date
2024
Keywords
aging expectations, subjective cognitive decline
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences | Mental and Social Health
Recommended Citation
Do, BS, Justin; Fishman, BA, Casey; Bhargava, PhD, Sakshi; Bratlee-Whitaker, PhD, RN, Emily; Turner, PhD, Jennifer R.; Mogle, PhD, MS, Jacqueline; and Hill, PhD, RN, Nikki L., "Aging Expectations Predict Subjective Cognitive Decline Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults" (2024). Alpha Omega Alpha Research Symposium Posters. 13.
https://jdc.jefferson.edu/aoa_research_symposium_posters/13
Comments
Presented at the 2024 AOA Research Symposium.