Stressful life events and cognitive functioning in late life

To determine whether any relation exists between stressful life events and cognitive decline, 275 elderly persons living independently a) underwent cognitive tests at the ages of 70 and 76 years, and b) were interviewed at age 76 as to their recent life history, focusing on stressful events during the preceding six years. Intellectual abilities were generally found to decline between 70 and 76 years of age. During this period, two-thirds of the subjects had experienced one or more life stress situations, mostly related to health or bereavement. Contrary to the assumption that there exists a relationship between life stress and cognitive decline, our results indicated that this decline occurred regardless of stressful life experiences; the only exception was the bereavement situation (losing a spouse or child), which seemed to have a marked effect on cognitive abilities, and to which men appeared to be particularly vulnerable.