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A chain mediation model reveals the association between depression and cognitive function in the elderly
Penghao Fan1, Hongying Li1, Hongyan Xu1
1School of Humanities and Management, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, 310053, China.
Scientific Reports
|December 29, 2024
Summary
Depression significantly impacts elderly cognitive function. Social activities and activities of daily living (ADL) play crucial mediating roles, influencing cognitive health through complex pathways.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Public Health
Background:
- Depression is a prevalent issue among the elderly, often co-occurring with cognitive decline.
- Understanding the factors that mediate the relationship between depression and cognitive function is vital for developing targeted interventions.
- Social engagement and the ability to perform daily activities are recognized as important determinants of well-being in older adults.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the direct and indirect relationships between depression, cognitive function, social activities, and activities of daily living (ADL) in the elderly population.
- To examine the potential chain mediating effect of social activities and ADL in the association between depression and cognitive function.
- To quantify the contributions of direct, indirect, and chain mediating effects on cognitive function in older adults.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 7547 elderly participants in the fourth phase of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS).
- Employed correlation analysis to assess the interrelationships between depression, cognitive function, social activities, and ADL.
- Applied the Bootstrap method to test and validate the significance of the chain mediating effects.
Main Results:
- The direct effect of depression on elderly cognitive function accounted for 36.85% of the total effect.
- Indirect effects through social activities and ADL were significant, representing 15.99% and 44.64% of total effects, respectively.
- A significant chain mediating effect of social activities and ADL was observed, contributing 2.44% to the total effect.
Conclusions:
- Depression exerts a considerable direct influence on cognitive function in the elderly.
- Social activities and ADL are important mediators, partially explaining how depression affects cognitive health.
- The findings highlight the complex interplay between mental health, social engagement, functional abilities, and cognitive status in aging populations, suggesting avenues for intervention.
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