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Social support mediates the relationships between extraversion, neuroticism, and cognitive function in older adults
J E McHugh Power1, B A Lawlor2, F Kee3
1UK CRC Centre of Excellence for Public Health, Institute of Clinical Sciences Block B, Grosvenor Road, Queen's University Belfast, Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast BT12 6BJ, UK; Institute of Neuroscience, Lloyd Institute, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland.
Objectives:
We supplement existing findings on a link between social support and cognitive function in later life by considering the role of personality as an antecedent to both, and of social support as a mediator of the link between personality and cognitive function.
Study Design:
An observational cohort study.
Methods:
We evaluated social support using the Lubben Social Network Scale, across 624 adults aged over 60 years, and investigated this measure as a mediator of the relationships between extraversion and neuroticism at baseline 2007-2009, and cognitive function at follow-up, 2 years later. A half-longitudinal mediation design, within a structural equation modelling framework, was used.
Results:
There was a direct effect of extraversion, such that lower levels were related to higher scores of cognitive function. There was no significant direct effect of neuroticism on cognitive function at follow-up. Social support partially mediated the paths between both extraversion and neuroticism and cognitive function at follow-up. Decomposing the mediation effects by using social support subscales (measuring support from friends, relatives and neighbours) showed meaningful indirect effects for both predictors.
Conclusion:
Results suggest that social support may offer a target for interventions for cognitively at-risk older adults and add to the existing empirical evidence describing the link between personality and cognitive function.
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