The influence of depression on memory and metamemory in the elderly

This study aimed to assess the relationships among depression level, memory and metamemory scores on a large sample of elderly subjects (139 men and 147 women). Preliminary examination showed that none of the sampled subjects had intellectual impairment (as assessed by means of the Mini-Mental State Examination) or neuropsychiatric symptoms. Each subject was administered the Randt Memory Test (RMT), the Sehulster Memory Scale (SMS) and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). A Multivariate Analysis of Covariance revealed a negative influence of depression on the two RMT measures (Acquisition-Recall: AR; Delayed Memory: DM) and on the three SMS measures (Set1: self-comparison; Set2: memory complaints; Set3: peer comparison), and of age on AR and DM, and Set1 and Set2. A Multivariate Regression Analysis showed that DM scores were positively correlated with Set2 in men and women, and with Set1 in women and Set3 in men, whereas AR scores related to Set2 and Set3 in men and Set1 in women. In addition, depression influenced negatively Set1, Set2 and AR scores in both men and women and DM scores only in men. On the whole, the results suggest that depression, memory and metamemory are rather closely related in non-severely depressed older individuals, albeit with slightly different patterns in men and women, and that some areas of metamemory are congruent with objective functioning regardless of the level of depressive symptoms.