Associations between sensory impairment and neuropsychiatric symptoms among older adults: a moderated mediating model

Sensory impairment (SI), a prevalent health concern among the aging population, has significant implications for neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS). This represents a critical issue in the aging society. This study aims to investigate the effect of SI on NPS, with examining the mediating role of social loneliness and the moderating effect of social deprivation in this relationship.

A total of 435 older adults (224 male vs. 211 female) were recruited to participate in this study. Participants completed assessments on SI, social loneliness, social deprivation and NPS. A moderated mediation model was built to investigate associations among these variables.

Among the participants, 139 (32.0%) had only visual impairment, 30 (6.9%) had only hearing impairment, and 162 (37.2%) had dual SI. We found that SI (r = 0.18, p < 0.001), social loneliness (r = 0.46, p < 0.001), and social deprivation (r = 0.24, p < 0.001) were significantly associated with NPS in the older adults. In addition, the indirect effect of SI on the NPS through social loneliness was significant (B = 0.64, SE = 0.15, 95% CI = [0.37, 0.95]), with social deprivation playing a moderating role in the relationship between social loneliness and NPS (B = 0.06, SE = 0.002, t = 3.59, p < 0.01).

SI was associated with more NPS through heightened social loneliness, and this indirect effect was stronger among those with higher level of social deprivation. Our findings highlight the crucial roles of both social loneliness and social deprivation in mediating the impact of SI on mental health outcomes, providing insightful information for designing targeted mental health interventions for the aging population.