Metamemory and depression in cognitively impaired elders

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships of depression and health to the perceptions of memory capacity, change, locus, and strategy in cognitively impaired residents (N = 55) of nursing homes. All subjects had Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) scores between 15 and 23. Subjects generally had low perceived health and mild depression. Pearson correlations between age and strategy (-.31), depression and capacity (-.44), and depression and change (-.41) aspects of metamemory were statistically significant. Division of impaired residents of nursing homes into cognitive level groups (mild and severe impairment) indicated significant group differences in use of over-the-counter medications, total memory strategies, and internal strategies. Overall, the set of variables accounted for 8% to 18% of the total variance in metamemory subscales.