de Albuquerque Nathália Saraiva, Sessegolo Natália Silva, Moret-Tatay Carmen, Irigaray Tatiana Quarti
Doctoral School, Catholic University of Valencia San Vicente Mártir, San Agustín 3, Esc. A, Entresuelo 1, 46002 Valencia, Spain.
Department of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Ipiranga Avenue, 668 Partenon, Porto Alegre 90619-900, RS, Brazil.
Geriatrics (Basel). 2025 Jul 1;10(4):89. doi: 10.3390/geriatrics10040089.
Depression impairs the quality of life in older adults and represents a significant public health issue. Cognitive reserve may act as a protective factor against depressive symptoms in older adults. Additionally, interaction with pets may serve as another potential protective factor against these symptoms. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate whether higher cognitive reserve could predict a reduction in depressive symptoms in older adults and to investigate the moderating role of pet companionship in this relationship. The following instruments were used: a Sociodemographic Data Sheet, the Modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS-M), the Cognitive Reserve Index Questionnaire (CRIq), and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15). Data were collected via video calls through WhatsApp and analyzed using a moderation analysis with PROCESS for SPSS. The final sample consisted of 215 older adults with a mean age of 69.13 years (SD = 6.89). Among the participants, 53% owned pets and 47% did not. The overall model revealed a significant association between the predictor variables and the outcome (F(3, 211) = 4.24, < 0.01). For the group without pets, the effect was not significant (β = -0.1082, = 0.2916), but for the group with pets, the effect was substantial and negative on the GDS (β = -0.1936, < 0.05). We concluded that the relationship between cognitive reserve and depressive symptoms is moderated by the presence of pets in individuals' lives. These findings highlight the role of pets in protecting against depressive symptoms in older adults. Future studies should explore this relationship with more diverse samples.
抑郁症会损害老年人的生活质量，是一个重大的公共卫生问题。认知储备可能是老年人预防抑郁症状的一个保护因素。此外，与宠物互动可能是预防这些症状的另一个潜在保护因素。因此，本研究旨在评估较高的认知储备是否能预测老年人抑郁症状的减轻，并探讨宠物陪伴在这种关系中的调节作用。使用了以下工具：社会人口数据表、改良的认知状态电话访谈（TICS-M）、认知储备指数问卷（CRIq）和老年抑郁量表（GDS-15）。通过WhatsApp视频通话收集数据，并使用SPSS的PROCESS进行调节分析。最终样本包括215名老年人，平均年龄为69.13岁（标准差=6.89）。在参与者中，53%的人养宠物，47%的人不养宠物。总体模型显示预测变量与结果之间存在显著关联（F(3, 211) = 4.24，<0.01）。对于没有宠物的组，效果不显著（β = -0.1082，= 0.2916），但对于有宠物的组，对GDS的影响是显著且负面的（β = -0.1936，<0.05）。我们得出结论，认知储备与抑郁症状之间的关系受到个体生活中宠物存在的调节。这些发现突出了宠物在预防老年人抑郁症状方面的作用。未来的研究应该用更多样化的样本探索这种关系。
