Age moderates associations between dementia worry and subjective cognition

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Gerontology

Background:

• Dementia worry is a growing concern among adults.
• Subjective cognitive difficulties are common but their link to dementia worry needs further exploration.
• Age may influence the relationship between worry and cognitive complaints.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between dementia worry and subjective cognitive difficulties.
• To determine if age moderates this relationship.
• To explore the impact of worry frequency and specific cognitions about dementia.

Main Methods:

• 477 adults (18-90 years) completed measures of dementia worry and cognitive difficulties (attention, memory, language, etc.).
• Moderated regression analyses examined dementia worry as a predictor and age as a moderator.
• Covariates included anxiety, depression, stress, and health status.

Main Results:

• Increased dementia worry, particularly its frequency, correlated with greater attentional difficulties in middle-aged and older adults, but not young adults.
• Cognitions about developing dementia after memory lapses were linked to broader subjective cognitive difficulties across all adult ages.
• Worry frequency's influence on subjective cognitive difficulties increased with age.

Conclusions:

• A significant association exists between dementia worry and subjective attentional difficulties, especially in older adults.
• Age is a crucial factor, with worry frequency becoming more impactful later in life.
• Cognitive or metacognitive processes may explain subjective cognitive concerns throughout adulthood.