Between-person and within-person effects in the temporal relationship between depressive symptoms and cognitive...

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Investigating the complex interplay between mental health and cognitive decline in aging populations.
• Understanding the bidirectional relationship between depressive symptoms and cognitive function.

Purpose of the Study:

• To differentiate between within-person and between-person effects on the temporal association of depressive symptoms and cognitive function.
• To clarify the directionality and magnitude of influence between cognitive function and depressive symptoms over time.

Main Methods:

• Prospective population-based cohort study (Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe).
• Cognitive function assessed via verbal fluency, immediate recall, and delayed recall tests.
• EURO-D scale used for depressive symptom measurement.
• Employed fully saturated cross-lagged panel model (between-person) and random intercept cross-lagged panel model (within-person).

Main Results:

• Between-person effects revealed a bidirectional relationship, initially stronger from cognition to depression, then stronger from depression to cognition, with overall small effects.
• Within-person effects showed a dominant influence of depressive symptoms on cognitive function.
• Cognitive function's effect on depressive symptoms was observed in older adults, particularly men; all effects were small and strongest in individuals aged 65+.

Conclusions:

• The long-term association between depressive symptoms and cognitive function is bidirectional.
• Short-term interventions focused on reducing depressive symptoms are recommended to improve cognitive function in individuals.