Association of loneliness, social isolation, and daily cognitive function in Mexican older adults living in community during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic
##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.main##
Abstract
Objective. To establish an association between loneliness and social isolation, with daily cognitive function in Mexican OA during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Method. Cross-sectional study, derived from the cohort “The impact of COVID 19 on well-being, cognition, and discrimination among older adults in the United States and Latin America”, which included 308 OA recruited between March-August 2020 whose daily cognitive function were determined with the Everyday Cognition Scale (E-Cog) as dichotomized score (cut point: 1.31 for normal cognition). Loneliness and social isolation were binomial variables.
Results. The mean age was 65.4 ± 7.9 years, 75.7% were women. The mean continuous E-Cog score was 57.4 (SD = ± 19.1), 49.1% had a score < 1.31 (normal cognition), while 50.9% had a higher score (cognitive impairment). Eighty four percent of participants reported loneliness, 79.9% reported social isolation. Multivariate regression model showed a negative and statistically significant association between social isolation and loneliness and E-Cog, adjusted by age, sex and education level (β = -.046, 95% CI = [-.8, -.013], p = .007; β = -.16, 95% CI = [-.08, -.018], p = .003), and a positive association with subjective memory complaint (β = .81, 95% CI = [-.16, -.11], p = < .001).
Discussion and conclusion. These data suggest the need for increased vigilance of those who have loneliness and social isolation due to its potential deleterious effect on cognitive function.
References
Akhter-Khan, S. C., Tao, Q., Ang, T. F. A., Itchapurapu, I. S., Alosco, M. L., Mez, J., … Qiu, W. Q. (2021). Associations of loneliness with risk of Alzheimer’s disease dementia in the Framingham Heart Study. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 17(10), 1619-1627 doi: 10.1002/alz.12327
Babulal, G. M., Torres, V. L., Acosta, D., Agüero, C., Aguilar-Navarro, S., Amariglio, R., … Quiroz, Y. T. (2021). The impact of COVID-19 on the well-being and cognition of older adults living in the United States and Latin America. EClinicalMedicine, 35, 100848. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2021.100848
Brailean, A., Steptoe, A., Batty, G. D., Zaninotto, P., & Llewellyn, D. J. (2019). Are subjective memory complaints indicative of objective cognitive decline or depressive symptoms? Findings from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 110, 143-151. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2018.12.005
Burns, J., Movsisyan, A., Stratil, J. M., Coenen, M., Emmert-Fees, K. M. F., Geffert, K., ... Rehfuess, E. (2020). Travel‐related control measures to contain the COVID‐19 pandemic: a rapid review. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 9, CD013717. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD013717
Bzdok, D., & Dunbar, R. I. M. (2020). The Neurobiology of Social Distance. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 24(9), 717-733. doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2020.05.016
De Jong Gierveld, J., & Tilburg, T. Van. (2006). A 6-Item Scale for Overall, Emotional, and Social Loneliness Confirmatory Tests on Survey Data. Research on Aging, 28(5), 582-598. doi: 10.1177/0164027506289723
Domènech-Abella, J., Mundó, J., Leonardi, M., Chatterji, S., Tobiasz-Adamczyk, B., Koskinen, S., … Olaya, B. (2020). Loneliness and depression among older European adults: The role of perceived neighborhood built environment. Health & Place, 62, 102280. doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2019.102280
Farias, S. T., Mungas, D., Reed, B. R., Cahn-Weiner, D., Jagust, W., Baynes, K., & DeCarli, C. (2008). The Measurement of Everyday Cognition (ECog): Scale Development and Psychometric Properties. Neuropsychology, 22(4), 531-544. doi: 10.1037/0894-4105.22.4.531
Filshtein, T., Chan, M., Mungas, D., Whitmer, R., Fletcher, E., DeCarli, C., & Farias, S. (2020). Differential Item Functioning of the Everyday Cognition (ECog) Scales in Relation to Racial/Ethnic Groups. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 26(5), 515-526. doi: 10.1017/S1355617719001437
Freedman, A., & Nicolle, J. (2020). Social isolation and loneliness: The new geriatric giants Approach for primary care. Canadian Family Physician, 66(3), 176-182.
Go, R. C. P., Duke, L. W., Harrell, L. E., Cody, H., Bassett, S. S., Folstein, M. F., … Blacker, D. (1997). Development and validation of a structured telephone interview for dementia assessment (STIDA): The NIMH genetics initiative. Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology, 10(4), 161-167. doi: 10.1177/089198879701000407
Grasso, D. J., Briggs-Gowan, M. J., Ford, J. D., & Carter, A. S. (2020). Epidemic-Pandemic Impacts Inventory (EPII).
Harris, P. A., Taylor, R., Thielke, R., Payne, J., Gonzalez, N., & Conde, J. G. (2009). Research electronic data capture (REDCap)-A metadata-driven methodology and workflow process for providing translational research informatics support. Journal of Biomedical Informatics, 42(2), 377-381. doi: 10.1016/j.jbi.2008.08.010
Hsu, J. L., Hsu, W. C., Chang, C. C., Lin, K. J., Hsiao, I. T., Fan, Y. C., & Bai, C. H. (2017). Everyday cognition scales are related to cognitive function in the early stage of probable Alzheimer’s disease and FDG-PET findings. Scientific Reports, 7(1), 1719. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-01193-6
Kim, A. J., Beam, C. R., Greenberg, N. E., & Burke, S. L. (2020). Health Factors as Potential Mediators of the Longitudinal Effect of Loneliness on General Cognitive Ability. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 28(12), 1272-1283. doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2020.07.017
Kotwal, A. A., Holt-Lunstad, J., Newmark, R. L., Cenzer, I., Smith, A. K., Covinsky, K. E., … Perissinotto, C. M. (2021). Social Isolation and Loneliness Among San Francisco Bay Area Older Adults During the COVID-19 Shelter-in-PlaceOrders. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 69(1), 20-29. doi: 10.1111/jgs.16865
Lara, E., Caballero, F. F., Rico-Uribe, L. A., Olaya, B., Haro, J. M., Ayuso-Mateos, J. L., & Miret, M. (2019). Are loneliness and social isolation associated with cognitive decline? International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 34(11), 1613-1622. doi: 10.1002/gps.5174
Leser, N., & Wagner, S. (2015). The effects of acute social isolation on long-term social recognition memory. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 124, 97-103. doi: 10.1016/j.nlm.2015.07.002
Luanaigh, C. Ó., & Lawlor, B. A. (2008). Loneliness and the health of older people. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 23(12), 1213-1221. doi: 10.1002/gps.2054
Marshall, G. A., Zoller, A. S., Kelly, K. E., Amariglio, R. E., Locascio, J. J., Johnson, K. A., … Rentz, D. M. (2014). Everyday Cognition Scale Items that Best Discriminate Between and Predict Progression From Clinically Normal to Mild Cognitive Impairment. Current Alzheimer Research, 11(9), 853-861. doi: 10.2174/1567205011666141001120903
Mumtaz, F., Khan, M. I., Zubair, M., & Dehpour, A. R. (2018). Neurobiology and consequences of social isolation stress in animal model—A comprehensive review. Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, 105, 1205-1222. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2018.05.086
Rueda, A. D., Lau, K. M., Saito, N., Harvey, D., Risacher, S. L., Aisen, P. S., … Farias, S. T. (2015). Self-rated and informant-rated everyday function in comparison to objective markers of Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 11(9), 1080-1089. doi: 10.1016/j.jalz.2014.09.002
Russo, M. J., Cohen, G., Chrem Mendez, P., Campos, J., Martín, M. E., Clarens, M. F., … Allegri, R. F. (2018). Utility of the Spanish version of the Everyday Cognition scale in the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia in an older cohort from the Argentina-ADNI. Aging Clinical and Experimental Research, 30(10), 1167-1176. doi: 10.1007/s40520-018-0899-8
Savage, R. D., Wu, W., Li, J., Lawson, A., Bronskill, S. E., Chamberlain, S. A., … Rochon, P. A. (2021). Loneliness among older adults in the community during COVID-19: A cross-sectional survey in Canada. BMJ Open, 11(4), e044517. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-044517
Secretaría de Salud México, CENAPRECE, Institución Nacional de Salud Pública, IMSS, INEGI, CONAPO, RENAPO, & Organización Panamericana de la Salud. (2020). Boletín Estadístico sobre exceso de mortalidad por todas las causas durante la emergencia por COVID-19. Boletín Estadístico, 1(1), 1-27.
Sepulveda-Loyola, W., Rodriguez-Sanchez, I., Perez-Rodriguez, P., Ganz, F., Torralba, R., Oliveira, D. V., & Rodriguez-Mañas, L. (2020). Impact of Social Isolation due to Covid-19 on Health in Older People: Mental and Physical Effects and Recommendations. Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging, 24(2), 938-947. doi: 10.1007/s12603-020-1469-2; doi: 10.1007/s12603-020-1500-7
Shankar, A., Hamer, M., McMunn, A., & Steptoe, A. (2013). Social isolation and loneliness: Relationships with cognitive function during 4 years of follow-up in the English longitudinal study of ageing. Psychosomatic Medicine, 75(2), 161-170. doi: 10.1097/PSY.0b013e31827f09cd
Tomaszewski Farias, S., Mungas, D., Harvey, D. J., Simmons, A., Reed, B. R., & DeCarli, C. (2011). The measurement of everyday cognition: Development and validation of a short form of the Everyday Cognition scales. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 7(6), 593-601. doi: 10.1016/j.jalz.2011.02.007
Tragantzopoulou, P., & Giannouli, V. (2021). Social isolation and loneliness in old age: Exploring their role in mental and physical health. Psychiatriki, 32(1), 59-66. doi: 10.22365/jpsych.2021.009
van Harten, A. C., Mielke, M. M., Swenson-Dravis, D. M., Hagen, C. E., Edwards, K. K., Roberts, R. O., … Petersen, R. C. (2018). Subjective cognitive decline and risk of MCI: The Mayo Clinic Study of Aging. Neurology, 91(4), e300-e312. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000005863
Wilkialis, L., Rodrigues, N., Majeed, A., Lee, Y., Lipsitz, O., Gill, H., … McIntyre, R. S. (2021). Loneliness-based impaired reward system pathway: Theoretical and clinical analysis and application. Psychiatry Research, 298, 113800. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2021.113800
Wong, S. Y. S., Zhang, D., Sit, R. W. S., Yip, B. H. K., Chung, R. Y., Wong, C. K. M., ... Mercer, S. W. (2020). Impact of COVID-19 on loneliness, mental health, and health service utilisation: a prospective cohort study of older adults with multimorbidity in primary care. British Journal of General Practice, 70(700), e817-e824. doi: 10.3399/BJGP20X713021
Zovetti, N., Rossetti, M. G., Perlini, C., Brambilla, P., & Bellani, M. (2021). Neuroimaging studies exploring the neural basis of social isolation. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, 30, e29. doi: 10.1017/S2045796021000135
