IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/eujoag/v13y2016i1d10.1007_s10433-015-0359-7.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Is cognitive lifestyle associated with depressive thoughts and self-reported depressive symptoms in later life?

Author

Listed:
  • Carol Opdebeeck

    (Bangor University)

  • Catherine Quinn

    (University of Exeter)

  • Sharon M. Nelis

    (University of Exeter)

  • Linda Clare

    (Bangor University
    University of Exeter)

Abstract

Key components of cognitive lifestyle are educational attainment, occupational complexity and engagement in cognitively stimulating leisure activities. Each of these factors is associated with experiencing fewer depressive symptoms in later life, but no study to date has examined the relationship between overall cognitive lifestyle and depressive symptoms. This task is made more complex because relatively few older participants in cross-sectional studies will be currently experiencing depression. However, many more will show evidence of a depressive thinking style that predisposes them towards depression. This study aimed to investigate the extent to which cognitive lifestyle and its individual components are associated with depressive thoughts and symptoms. Two hundred and six community-dwelling participants aged 65+ completed the depressive cognitions scale, the geriatric depression scale and the lifetime of experiences questionnaire, which assesses cognitive lifestyle. Correlational analysis indicated that each of the individual lifestyle factors—education, occupational complexity and activities in young adulthood, mid-life and later life—and the combined cognitive lifestyle score was positively associated with each other and negatively with depressive symptoms, while all except education were negatively associated with depressive thoughts. Depressive thoughts and symptoms were strongly correlated. Cognitive lifestyle score explained 4.6 % of the variance in depressive thoughts and 10.2 % of the variance in depressive symptoms. The association of greater participation in cognitive activities, especially in later life, with fewer depressive symptoms and thoughts suggests that preventive interventions aimed at increasing participation in cognitively stimulating leisure activity could be beneficial in decreasing the risk of experiencing depressive thoughts and symptoms in later life.

Suggested Citation

  • Carol Opdebeeck & Catherine Quinn & Sharon M. Nelis & Linda Clare, 2016. "Is cognitive lifestyle associated with depressive thoughts and self-reported depressive symptoms in later life?," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 13(1), pages 63-73, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:eujoag:v:13:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1007_s10433-015-0359-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s10433-015-0359-7
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10433-015-0359-7
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10433-015-0359-7?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Daniel Paulson & Mary Elizabeth Bowen & Peter A. Lichtenberg, 2014. "Does Brain Reserve Protect Older Women from Vascular Depression?," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 69(2), pages 157-167.
    2. Beatriz Eugenia Alvarado & Maria Victoria Zunzunegui & François Béland & Maryline Sicotte & Lourdes Tellechea, 2007. "Social and Gender Inequalities in Depressive Symptoms Among Urban Older Adults of Latin America and the Caribbean," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 62(4), pages 226-236.
    3. Ross, Catherine E. & Mirowsky, John, 2006. "Sex differences in the effect of education on depression: Resource multiplication or resource substitution?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 63(5), pages 1400-1413, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Avanthi Paplikar & Divya Ballal & Feba Varghese & Jala Sireesha & Ramya Dwivedi & Amulya Rajan & Shailaja Mekala & Faheem Arshad & Subhash Kaul & Suvarna Alladi, 2020. "Assessment of Lifestyle Experiences across Lifespan and Cognitive Ageing in the Indian Context," Psychology and Developing Societies, , vol. 32(2), pages 308-330, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Van de Velde, Sarah & Bracke, Piet & Levecque, Katia, 2010. "Gender differences in depression in 23 European countries. Cross-national variation in the gender gap in depression," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 71(2), pages 305-313, July.
    2. Torres, Jacqueline M. & Yahirun, Jenjira J. & Sheehan, Connor & Ma, Mingming & Sáenz, Joseph, 2021. "Adult child socio-economic status disadvantage and cognitive decline among older parents in Mexico," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 279(C).
    3. Jennifer Karas Montez & Kaitlyn Barnes, 2016. "The Benefits of Educational Attainment for U.S. Adult Mortality: Are they Contingent on the Broader Environment?," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 35(1), pages 73-100, February.
    4. Elliot M. Friedman & Elizabeth Teas, 2023. "Self-Rated Health and Mortality: Moderation by Purpose in Life," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(12), pages 1-14, June.
    5. Mandemakers, Jornt J. & Monden, Christiaan W.S., 2010. "Does education buffer the impact of disability on psychological distress?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 71(2), pages 288-297, July.
    6. Sze Yan Liu & Jennifer J Manly & Benjamin D Capistrant & M Maria Glymour, 2015. "Historical Differences in School Term Length and Measured Blood Pressure: Contributions to Persistent Racial Disparities among US-Born Adults," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(6), pages 1-13, June.
    7. Juliana Lustosa Torres & Maria Fernanda Lima-Costa & Michael Marmot & Cesar de Oliveira, 2016. "Wealth and Disability in Later Life: The English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA)," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(11), pages 1-12, November.
    8. Hannelore De Grande & Hadewijch Vandenheede & Patrick Deboosere, 2015. "Educational Inequalities in the Transition to Adulthood in Belgium: The Impact of Intergenerational Mobility on Young-Adult Mortality in 2001-2009," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(12), pages 1-18, December.
    9. Bahadır Dursun & Resul Cesur, 2016. "Transforming lives: the impact of compulsory schooling on hope and happiness," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 29(3), pages 911-956, July.
    10. Terrence D. Hill & Jason A. Ford & Harvey L. Nicholson, 2022. "Education and polypharmacy: A national study of racial and ethnic variations," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 103(7), pages 1687-1705, December.
    11. Bjelland, Ingvar & Krokstad, Steinar & Mykletun, Arnstein & Dahl, Alv A. & Tell, Grethe S. & Tambs, K., 2008. "Does a higher educational level protect against anxiety and depression? The HUNT study," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 66(6), pages 1334-1345, March.
    12. Matthew A. Andersson & Vida Maralani & Renae Wilkinson, 2022. "Origins and Destinations, but How Much and When? Educational Disparities in Smoking and Drinking Across Adolescence and Young Adulthood," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 41(2), pages 521-558, April.
    13. Korous, Kevin M. & Surachman, Agus & Rogers, Charles R. & Cuevas, Adolfo G., 2023. "Parental education and epigenetic aging in middle-aged and older adults in the United States: A life course perspective," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 333(C).
    14. Sara Pinillos-Franco & Carmen García-Prieto, 2017. "The gender gap in self-rated health and education in Spain. A multilevel analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(12), pages 1-11, December.
    15. Ringdal, Charlotte & Rootjes, Frank, 2022. "Depression and labor supply: Evidence from the Netherlands," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 45(C).
    16. Yuanfei Li & Dandan Zhao, 2021. "Education, neighbourhood context and depression of elderly Chinese," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 58(16), pages 3354-3370, December.
    17. Maria Esther Irigoyen-Camacho & Maria Consuelo Velazquez-Alva & Marco Antonio Zepeda-Zepeda & Maria Fernanda Cabrer-Rosales & Irina Lazarevich & Antonio Castaño-Seiquer, 2020. "Effect of Income Level and Perception of Susceptibility and Severity of COVID-19 on Stay-at-Home Preventive Behavior in a Group of Older Adults in Mexico City," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(20), pages 1-16, October.
    18. Catherine Ross & Ryan Masters & Robert Hummer, 2012. "Education and the Gender Gaps in Health and Mortality," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 49(4), pages 1157-1183, November.
    19. Zhifei He & Zhaohui Cheng & Ghose Bishwajit & Dongsheng Zou, 2018. "Wealth Inequality as a Predictor of Subjective Health, Happiness and Life Satisfaction among Nepalese Women," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-11, December.
    20. Li, Miao, 2020. "Adolescent college expectation and nutritional health in adulthood: The hidden power of social position," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 265(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:eujoag:v:13:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1007_s10433-015-0359-7. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.