title: Subjective memory complaints, cognitive performance, and psychological factors in healthy older adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether subjective memory complaints (SMCs) are associated with performance on objective cognitive measures and psychological factors in healthy, community-dwelling older adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  The cohort was composed of adults, 65 years and older with no clinical evidence of cognitive impairment (n = 125). Participants were administered: CogState computerized neurocognitive battery, Prospective Retrospective Memory Questionnaire, personality and meaning-in-life measures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  SMCs were associated with poorer performance on measures of executive function (p = 0.001). SMCs were also associated with impaired delayed recall (p = 0.006) but this did not remain significant after statistical adjustment for multiple comparisons. SMCs were inversely associated with conscientiousness (p = 0.004) and directly associated with neuroticism (p < 0.001). Higher scores on SMCs were associated with higher perceived stress (p = 0.001), and ineffective coping styles (p = 0.001). Factors contributing to meaning-in-life were associated with fewer SMCs (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SMCs may reflect early, subtle cognitive changes and are associated with personality traits and meaning-in-life in healthy, older adults.
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Psychiatry, Crozer Chester Medical Center, One Medical Center Boulevard, Upland, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Susanne I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Steinberg
authors.forename: Selamawit
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Negash
authors.forename: Mary D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Sammel
authors.forename: Hillary
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bogner
authors.forename: Brian T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Harel
authors.forename: Melissa G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Livney
authors.forename: Hannah
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: McCoubrey
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Wolk
authors.forename: Mitchel A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Kling
authors.forename: Steven E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Arnold
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D003071:Cognition; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: cognitive performance; healthy; meaning-in-life; older adults; personality traits; subjective memory complaints