Dataset Information

Social Contact Mode and 15-Year Episodic Memory Trajectories in Older Adults With and Without Hearing Loss: Findings From the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Frequent social contact benefits cognition in later life although evidence is lacking on the potential relevance of the modes chosen by older adults, including those living with hearing loss, for interacting with others in their social network.

Method

11,418 participants in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing provided baseline information on hearing status and social contact mode and frequency of use. Multilevel growth curve models compared episodic memory (immediate and delayed recall) at baseline and longitudinally in participants who interacted frequently (offline only or offline and online combined), compared to infrequently, with others in their social network.

Results

Frequent offline (B = 0.23; SE = 0.09) and combined offline and online (B = 0.71; SE = 0.09) social interactions predicted better episodic memory after adjustment for multiple confounders. We observed positive, longitudinal associations between combined offline and online interactions and episodic memory in participants without hearing loss (B = 0.50, SE = 0.11) but not with strictly offline interactions (B = 0.01, SE = 0.11). In those with hearing loss, episodic memory was positively related to both modes of engagement (offline only: B = 0.79, SE = 0.20; combined online and offline: B = 1.27, SE = 0.20). Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of these findings.

Discussion

Supplementing conventional social interactions with online communication modes may help older adults, especially those living with hearing loss, sustain, and benefit cognitively from, personal relationships.

SUBMITTER: Rafnsson SB

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8756343 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Social Contact Mode and 15-Year Episodic Memory Trajectories in Older Adults With and Without Hearing Loss: Findings From the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.

Rafnsson Snorri Bjorn SB Maharani Asri A Tampubolon Gindo G

The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences 20220101 1

<h4>Objectives</h4>Frequent social contact benefits cognition in later life although evidence is lacking on the potential relevance of the modes chosen by older adults, including those living with hearing loss, for interacting with others in their social network.<h4>Method</h4>11,418 participants in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing provided baseline information on hearing status and social contact mode and frequency of use. Multilevel growth curve models compared episodic memory (immedia ...[more]

PMID: 33606882

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Project description:ImportanceEvidence has linked age-related hearing impairment (ARHI) with cognitive decline; however, very few studies (none in the United Kingdom) explore this link in large well-characterized groups of community-dwelling individuals.ObjectiveTo investigate the link between ARHI and cognitive decline using a cohort of elderly individuals from the United Kingdom and explore untreated hearing loss and social isolation as potential explanations for the observed link.Design, setting, and participantsThis cross-sectional analysis of wave 7 (June 2014 through May 2015) of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) sampled men and women 50 years or older and living in the United Kingdom in a community setting. Those with a diagnosis of dementia, Alzheimer disease, or Parkinson disease or with ear infections and cochlear implants were excluded. Data were analyzed from August 1, 2017, through May 25, 2018.Main outcomes and measuresMemory and executive function as measures of cognitive function and hearing acuity derived from the HearCheck screener device (Siemens).ResultsOf a cohort of 9666 members in wave 7 of ELSA, 7385 were eligible for analysis after applying exclusion criteria (55.1% women; mean [SD] age, 67.4 [9.4] years). Of these, 3056 (41.4%) had mild hearing loss and 755 (10.2%) had severe hearing loss; 834 (11.3%) used a hearing aid; and 7155 (96.9%) were white. Hearing loss had a negative association with cognition; for those with moderate to severe loss, the score on memory assessment was a full 1 point less (-1.00; 95% CI, -1.24 to -0.76), ceteris paribus, relative to those with no hearing loss. However, this association was seen only in the individuals with untreated hearing loss (ie, those who did not use hearing aids) (-1.16; 95% CI, -1.45 to -0.87). Evidence suggests that social isolation acts as a mediating factor.Conclusions and relevanceAlthough hearing loss and cognition are linked, untreated hearing loss drives the association. Social isolation is a mediating factor in the link for those who have untreated hearing loss. Cognitive decline associated with ARHI is probably preventable by early rehabilitation and increased opportunistic screening for the elderly.

Dataset Information

Social Contact Mode and 15-Year Episodic Memory Trajectories in Older Adults With and Without Hearing Loss: Findings From the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.

Objectives

Method

Results

Discussion

Publications

Social Contact Mode and 15-Year Episodic Memory Trajectories in Older Adults With and Without Hearing Loss: Findings From the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.

Similar Datasets

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