Relationship between loneliness and cognitive impairment in community-dwelling elderly in Wuhan
10.3760/cma.j.issn.0254-9026.2017.10.016
- VernacularTitle:武汉社区老年人孤独感与认知功能障碍的关系
- Author:
Xiaoshan YANG
1
;
Wei ZHEN
;
Xiaoting DING
;
Chang FU
;
Yi CAI
;
Zongfu MAO
Author Information
1. 430072,武汉大学健康学院
- Keywords:
Loneliness;
Cognition disorders
- From:
Chinese Journal of Geriatrics
2017;36(10):1125-1129
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective To examine the impact of loneliness on cognitive impairment among community-dwelling elderly people.Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted between July and August 2015 with 895 community-dwelling elderly participants in four residential areas of Wuchang District,Wuhan.The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was used to measure cognitive function.Chi square test,t-test,and multivariate linear regression were used to analyze the data.Results Multivariate linear analysis showed that loneliness was independently and negatively associated with cognitive function among the participants (β=-1.2828,95% CI:-2.27--0.30).Participants who felt loneliness recorded lower scores on visuospatial executive,attention,and language ability than those who did not (P<0.05).Multivariate logistic analysis demonstrated that loneliness was also associated with cognitive function after adjustment for age and gender,with OR (95 %CI) at 1.74(1.05 2.91) / 1.78 (1.07 2.94).Loneliness remained an independent risk factor for cognitive dysfunction after adjustment for age,gender,education level,monthly income,living arrangement,physical activity,mental activity,hypertension,diabetes,frequency of social interaction,and type of social interaction,with OR (95%CI) at 1.69(1.002.87) / 1.72(1.022.90).Conclusions Loneliness is a significant and independent impact factor for cognitive dysfunction among community dwelling elders.