Abstract
Background/Aims: While social factors may influence the trajectories of cognitive aging, the influence of spousal characteristics (i.e. health or mental health) on cognitive decline has received little attention. This study examined the influence of baseline depressive symptoms in one spouse on cognitive functioning in the other. Methods: We conducted a longitudinal study of 279 Latino spousal pairs (558 people) taken from a cohort study (n = 1,789) in California's central valley with assessments every 12-18 months. Results: Higher husband baseline depression was significantly associated with lower cognitive scores maintained across time for both husbands (p < 0.001) and wives (p = 0.01). Wives with higher baseline depression scores showed significantly worse cognitive function over time (p = 0.007). Conclusions: Husbands' cognitive function was more strongly linked to their own level of depression, whereas wives' cognitive function was influenced by both their own and their partners' level of baseline depression. Our study further documents the public health significance of depression and our need to look beyond the individual to the reverberating effects of depression on the family.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 491-500 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jul 2009 |
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Keywords
- Aging
- Cognition
- Depression, spouse
- Gender
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Psychiatry and Mental health
- Geriatrics and Gerontology
- Cognitive Neuroscience
Cite this
Longitudinal influences of partner depression on cognitive functioning in latino spousal pairs. / Hinton, W Ladson; Hagar, Yolanda; West, Nancy; González, Hector M.; Mungas, Dan M; Beckett, Laurel A; Haan, Mary N.
In: Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders, Vol. 27, No. 6, 07.2009, p. 491-500.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Longitudinal influences of partner depression on cognitive functioning in latino spousal pairs
AU - Hinton, W Ladson
AU - Hagar, Yolanda
AU - West, Nancy
AU - González, Hector M.
AU - Mungas, Dan M
AU - Beckett, Laurel A
AU - Haan, Mary N.
PY - 2009/7
Y1 - 2009/7
N2 - Background/Aims: While social factors may influence the trajectories of cognitive aging, the influence of spousal characteristics (i.e. health or mental health) on cognitive decline has received little attention. This study examined the influence of baseline depressive symptoms in one spouse on cognitive functioning in the other. Methods: We conducted a longitudinal study of 279 Latino spousal pairs (558 people) taken from a cohort study (n = 1,789) in California's central valley with assessments every 12-18 months. Results: Higher husband baseline depression was significantly associated with lower cognitive scores maintained across time for both husbands (p < 0.001) and wives (p = 0.01). Wives with higher baseline depression scores showed significantly worse cognitive function over time (p = 0.007). Conclusions: Husbands' cognitive function was more strongly linked to their own level of depression, whereas wives' cognitive function was influenced by both their own and their partners' level of baseline depression. Our study further documents the public health significance of depression and our need to look beyond the individual to the reverberating effects of depression on the family.
AB - Background/Aims: While social factors may influence the trajectories of cognitive aging, the influence of spousal characteristics (i.e. health or mental health) on cognitive decline has received little attention. This study examined the influence of baseline depressive symptoms in one spouse on cognitive functioning in the other. Methods: We conducted a longitudinal study of 279 Latino spousal pairs (558 people) taken from a cohort study (n = 1,789) in California's central valley with assessments every 12-18 months. Results: Higher husband baseline depression was significantly associated with lower cognitive scores maintained across time for both husbands (p < 0.001) and wives (p = 0.01). Wives with higher baseline depression scores showed significantly worse cognitive function over time (p = 0.007). Conclusions: Husbands' cognitive function was more strongly linked to their own level of depression, whereas wives' cognitive function was influenced by both their own and their partners' level of baseline depression. Our study further documents the public health significance of depression and our need to look beyond the individual to the reverberating effects of depression on the family.
KW - Aging
KW - Cognition
KW - Depression, spouse
KW - Gender
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=65549084933&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=65549084933&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1159/000218113
DO - 10.1159/000218113
M3 - Article
C2 - 19439967
AN - SCOPUS:65549084933
VL - 27
SP - 491
EP - 500
JO - Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders
JF - Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders
SN - 1420-8008
IS - 6
ER -