Farina F R, Bennett M, Griffith J W, Lenaert B
Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland.
Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Medical Research Council, Cambridge, UK.
Aging Ment Health. 2022 Mar;26(3):486-492. doi: 10.1080/13607863.2020.1856780. Epub 2020 Dec 9.
Few studies have measured the impact of dementia-related fear on daily functioning, despite its clinical relevance. Our aim was to determine the relationship between fear-avoidance of memory loss, perceived memory failures and self-reported quality of life in a community based sample of older adults using a novel fear of memory loss (FAM) scale.
Sixty-seven older adults (59-81 years) completed a 23-item self-report scale designed to capture multi-faceted components of fear of memory loss, known as the FAM scale. Perceived memory failures were measured using the Memory Failures Scale (MFS) and quality of life was assessed using the Older Person's Quality of Life scale (OPQOL-35). Participants also completed the Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS-IV) as a measure of objective memory performance and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS) and the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI) as measures of general anxiety.
The FAM scale demonstrated strong internal consistency (Cronbach's α = .82) and concurrent validity with the GAI ( = .47). Three latent factors were observed: (1) fear-avoidance, (2) problematic beliefs and (3) affective resilience. After adjusting for objective memory performance and general anxiety, higher fear-avoidance significantly predicted increased perceived memory failures ( = .014) and reduced quality of life ( = .033).
Fear of memory loss predicts increased perceived memory failures and lower self-reported quality of life in a community sample of older adults. Based on these findings, we propose a preliminary fear-avoidance model that explains the development and maintenance of dementia-related functional disability in terms of psychological processes.
尽管痴呆相关恐惧具有临床相关性，但很少有研究测量其对日常功能的影响。我们的目的是使用一种新型的记忆丧失恐惧（FAM）量表，确定社区中老年人样本中对记忆丧失的恐惧回避、感知到的记忆失误与自我报告的生活质量之间的关系。
67名老年人（59 - 81岁）完成了一个23项的自我报告量表，该量表旨在捕捉记忆丧失恐惧的多方面组成部分（即FAM量表）。使用记忆失误量表（MFS）测量感知到的记忆失误，使用老年人生活质量量表（OPQOL - 35）评估生活质量。参与者还完成了韦氏记忆量表（WMS - IV）作为客观记忆表现的测量，以及抑郁、焦虑和压力量表（DASS）和老年焦虑量表（GAI）作为一般焦虑的测量。
FAM量表显示出很强的内部一致性（克朗巴哈α系数 = 0.82），并与GAI具有同时效度（ = 0.47）。观察到三个潜在因素：（1）恐惧回避，（2）问题信念，（3）情感恢复力。在调整客观记忆表现和一般焦虑后，更高的恐惧回避显著预测了感知到的记忆失误增加（ = 0.014）和生活质量降低（ = 0.033）。
在社区老年人样本中，对记忆丧失的恐惧预示着感知到的记忆失误增加和自我报告的生活质量降低。基于这些发现，我们提出了一个初步的恐惧回避模型，该模型从心理过程的角度解释了痴呆相关功能障碍的发展和维持。
