Do Worries About Cognitive Functioning and Concerns About Developing Alzheimer's Disease Affect Psychological Well-Being?

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study is to determine if cognitive worries affect psychological well-being, if these effects are long-term, and if such concerns affect well-being more so among persons with a parent having Alzheimer's disease (AD).

METHOD

We used structural equation models with three waves of data collected from persons ages 40 to 60 at T. We created summative scores on five indicators of concerns about cognitive functioning and worries about dementia. Well-being measures included depression, life satisfaction, stress, and mastery.

RESULTS

We found (a) cognitive worries at Waves 1, 2, and 3 were generally associated with lower levels of psychological well-being at each of these waves; (b) there was no evidence of long-term, lagged effects, and (c) these relationships were statistically similar across groups of adult children and controls.

DISCUSSION

Because concerns about cognitive functioning and developing AD are pervasive among middle-aged and older persons, practitioners should be aware of their potentially deleterious effect on psychological well-being.