Effects of personal dementia exposure on subjective memory concerns and dementia worry

Psychosocial factors associated with dementia, such as dementia worry and personal exposure to the illness, may influence the subjective perception of cognitive abilities. The present study examined the relationship of subjective memory concerns with dementia worry, as well as the moderating effects of dementia exposure. Community-dwelling adults aged 50 and above without diagnostic history of dementia or evidence of objective memory impairment completed self-report measures assessing subjective memory concerns, subjective memory decline, dementia worry, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and dementia exposure. Results revealed that higher subjective memory concerns were associated with greater dementia worry and depressive symptoms. Those with genetic dementia exposure reported higher dementia worry than those with nongenetic or no dementia exposure. Dementia exposure moderated the relationship of subjective memory concerns with dementia worry. These findings suggest that assessments of dementia worry and dementia exposure may be valuable in clinical evaluations of older adults presenting with memory concerns.