Longitudinal influences of partner depression on cognitive functioning in latino spousal pairs.
OBJECTIVE
While social factors may influence the trajectories of cognitive aging, the influence of spousal characteristics (i.e. health or mental health) on cognitive decline has received little attention. This study examined the influence of baseline depressive symptoms in one spouse on cognitive functioning in the other.


METHODS
We conducted a longitudinal study of 279 Latino spousal pairs (558 people) taken from a cohort study (n = 1,789) in California's central valley with assessments every 12-18 months.


RESULTS
Higher husband baseline depression was significantly associated with lower cognitive scores maintained across time for both husbands (p < 0.001) and wives (p = 0.01). Wives with higher baseline depression scores showed significantly worse cognitive function over time (p = 0.007).


CONCLUSIONS
Husbands' cognitive function was more strongly linked to their own level of depression, whereas wives' cognitive function was influenced by both their own and their partners' level of baseline depression. Our study further documents the public health significance of depression and our need to look beyond the individual to the reverberating effects of depression on the family.
Hinton
Ladson
L
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, California 95817, USA. ladson.hinton@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu
Hagar
Yolanda
Y
West
Nancy
N
González
Hector M
HM
Mungas
Dan
D
Beckett
Laurel
L
Haan
Mary N
MN
D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology*