Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Int Psychogeriatr. 2021 Jul;33(7):665-676. doi: 10.1017/S1041610220000319. Epub 2020 Mar 19.
This study investigated subjective memory complaints in older adults and the roles of setting, response bias, and personality.
Cognitively normal older adults from two settings completed questionnaires measuring memory complaints, response bias, and personality.
(A) Neuroimaging study with community-based recruitment and (B) academic memory clinic.
Cognitively normal older adults who (A) volunteer for research (N = 92) or (B) self-referred to a memory clinic (N = 20).
Neuropsychological evaluation and adjudication of normal cognitive status were done by the neuroimaging study or memory clinic. This study administered self-reports of subjective memory complaints, response bias, five-factor personality, and depressive symptoms. Primary group differences were examined with secondary sensitivity analyses to control for sex, age, and education differences.
There was no significant difference in over-reporting response bias between study settings. Under-reporting response bias was higher in volunteers. Cognitive complaints were associated with response bias for two cognitive complaint measures. Neuroticism was positively associated with over-reporting in evaluation-seekers and negatively associated with under-reporting in volunteers. The relationship was reversed for Extraversion. Under-reporting bias was positively correlated with Agreeableness and Conscientiousness in volunteers.
Evaluation-seekers do not show bias toward over-reporting symptoms compared to volunteers. Under-reporting response bias may be important to consider when screening for memory impairment in non-help-seeking settings. The Memory Functioning Questionnaire was less sensitive to reporting biases. Over-reporting may be a facet of higher Neuroticism. Findings help elucidate psychological influences on self-perceived cognitive decline and help seeking in aging and may inform different strategies for assessment by setting.
本研究调查了老年人的主观记忆主诉以及环境、反应偏差和人格的作用。
来自两个环境的认知正常老年人完成了测量记忆主诉、反应偏差和人格的问卷。
（A）基于社区的招募的神经影像学研究和（B）学术记忆诊所。
认知正常的老年人，（A）自愿参加研究（N=92）或（B）自我转介到记忆诊所（N=20）。
神经影像学研究或记忆诊所进行了神经心理学评估和正常认知状态的裁决。本研究进行了主观记忆主诉、反应偏差、五因素人格和抑郁症状的自我报告。主要群体差异通过二次敏感性分析进行了检查，以控制性别、年龄和教育差异。
研究环境之间的反应偏差过度报告没有显著差异。志愿者的反应偏差报告较低。认知主诉与两种认知主诉测量的反应偏差相关。神经质与评估寻求者的过度报告呈正相关，与志愿者的反应偏差呈负相关。对于外向性，这种关系则相反。在志愿者中，反应偏差的低报告与宜人性和尽责性呈正相关。
与志愿者相比，评估寻求者在过度报告症状方面没有表现出偏差。在非寻求帮助的环境中进行记忆障碍筛查时，可能需要考虑反应偏差的低报告。记忆功能问卷对报告偏差的敏感性较低。过度报告可能是神经质较高的一个方面。这些发现有助于阐明心理因素对自我感知认知衰退和寻求帮助的影响，并可能为不同的评估策略提供信息，具体取决于环境。
