Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, 530 Church St., Ann Arbor, MI48109, USA.
Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Medical Center, 710 West 168th Street, 3rd floor, New York, NY10032, USA.
J Int Neuropsychol Soc. 2021 Oct;27(9):883-895. doi: 10.1017/S1355617720001253. Epub 2020 Dec 9.
Stress is a risk factor for numerous negative health outcomes, including cognitive impairment in late-life. The negative association between stress and cognition may be mediated by depressive symptoms, which separate studies have identified as both a consequence of perceived stress and a risk factor for cognitive decline. Pathways linking perceived stress, depressive symptoms, and cognition may be moderated by sociodemographics and psychosocial resources. The goal of this cross-sectional study was to identify modifying factors and enhance understanding of the mechanisms underlying the stress-cognition association in a racially and ethnically diverse sample of older adults.
A linear regression estimated the association between perceived stress and episodic memory in 578 older adults (Mage = 74.58) in the Washington Heights-Inwood Columbia Aging Project. Subsequent models tested whether depressive symptoms mediated the stress-memory relationship and whether sociodemographics (gender, race, and ethnicity) or perceived control moderated these pathways.
Independent of sociodemographics and chronic diseases, greater perceived stress was associated with worse episodic memory. This relationship was mediated by more depressive symptoms. Higher perceived control buffered the association between stress and depressive symptoms. There was no significant moderation by gender, race, or ethnicity.
Depressive symptoms may play a role in the negative association between perceived stress and cognition among older adults; however, longitudinal analyses and studies using experimental designs are needed. Perceived control is a modifiable psychological resource that may offset the negative impact of stress.
压力是许多负面健康结果的一个风险因素，包括老年人认知障碍。压力与认知之间的负面关联可能是通过抑郁症状来介导的，已有研究将其确定为感知压力的后果和认知衰退的风险因素。感知压力、抑郁症状和认知之间的联系途径可能受到社会人口统计学和心理社会资源的调节。本横断面研究的目的是确定调节因素，并增进对种族和民族多样化的老年人群体中压力-认知关联机制的理解。
线性回归估计了 578 名（平均年龄=74.58 岁）华盛顿高地-因伍德哥伦比亚老龄化项目老年人的感知压力与情景记忆之间的关联。随后的模型检验了抑郁症状是否在压力-记忆关系中起中介作用，以及社会人口统计学因素（性别、种族和民族）或感知控制是否调节这些途径。
独立于社会人口统计学和慢性疾病，感知压力越大，情景记忆越差。这种关系是通过更多的抑郁症状来介导的。更高的感知控制缓冲了压力和抑郁症状之间的关联。性别、种族或民族没有显著的调节作用。
抑郁症状可能在老年人感知压力和认知之间的负面关联中起作用；然而，需要进行纵向分析和使用实验设计的研究。感知控制是一种可改变的心理资源，可以抵消压力的负面影响。
