Aging and subjective cognitive difficulties during COVID-19: stress and positive experiences

Stressful and positive experiences may inform subjective perceptions of cognition; however, much of the literature focuses on stressful experiences. The COVID-19 pandemic provided an unprecedented opportunity to examine individual differences related to both minor (weekly) and larger (life) stressful and positive experiences, and subjective cognitive functioning during a worldwide, chronic stressor. The current studies examined these associations in two samples of older adults which used two different time scales - weeks and months. We also examined how age moderated associations.

In Study 1, 245 older adults (M_age = 71.1) completed measures on stress, positive experiences, and subjective cognitive difficulties (SCDs) across eight weeks during the pandemic. In Study 2, 116 older adults (M_age = 76.16) were assessed every six months for up to 2½ years during the pandemic.

In both studies, higher typical stress (weekly stress intensity and life events) was related to more subjective cognitive difficulties. In Study 1 but not Study 2, older age was related to lower levels of subjective cognitive difficulties, especially during weeks with high stress and positive experiences (within-persons).

The current study provides information as to whose subjective cognition may be most impacted by stress and positive experiences within a major non-normative event.