The association between perceived social support and cognition in older adults with and without multiple sclerosis

Advances in treatments for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) have resulted in a growing number of aging individuals with MS. Research has shown that perceived social support has protective effects against age-related cognitive decline but no study to date has examined the relationship between perceived social support and cognition in older adults with MS. The current study addressed this gap in knowledge examining the association between perceived social support and cognition in older adults with and without MS.

Participants were older adults with MS (n = 67, mean age = 64.75 years;%female =  64.2) and controls (n = 71, mean age = 68.25 years;%female = 57.7) Linear regression models examined the associations of total and domain scores of perceived social support with cognition in the entire sample, and then stratified by group status.

Analyses revealed that total perceived social support, emotional/informational support, and positive social interaction were associated with cognition in the total sample. In stratified analyses, emotional/informational support was significantly associated with cognition in the MS group; however, this association became insignificant when analyses adjusted for depressive symptoms. Positive social interaction was significantly associated with cognition in the control group. Notably, this association remained significant even after adjusting for depressive symptoms.

These findings suggest that distinct dimensions of perceived social support may have differential relationships with cognitive function in older adults with MS and healthy controls.