Spousal loss and cognitive function in later life: a 25-year follow-up in the AGES-Reykjavik study.
The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between loss of a life partner and the development of dementia and decline in cognitive function in later life. We used an Icelandic cohort of 4,370 participants in the Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility-Reykjavik Study who were living as married in 1978 (born in 1907-1935) and were either still married (unexposed cohort) or widowed (exposed cohort) at follow-up (in 2002-2006). We ascertained history of marital status and spouse's death by record linkage to the Registry of the Total Population, Statistics Iceland. The outcome measures were as follows: 1) dementia and mild cognitive impairment; and 2) memory, speed of processing, and executive function. During the observation period, 3,007 individuals remained married and 1,363 lost a spouse through death. We did not find any significant associations between loss of a spouse and our outcome variables, except that widowed women had poorer executive function (mean = -0.08) during the first 2 years after their husbands' deaths compared with still-married women (mean = 0.09). Our findings do not support the notion that the risk of dementia is increased following the loss of a spouse, yet women demonstrate a seemingly temporary decline in executive function following the death of a partner.
Halldora
H
Vidarsdottir
Fang
F
Fang
Milan
M
Chang
Thor
T
Aspelund
Katja
K
Fall
Maria K
MK
Jonsdottir
Palmi V
PV
Jonsson
Mary Frances
MF
Cotch
Tamara B
TB
Harris
Lenore J
LJ
Launer
Vilmundur
V
Gudnason
Unnur
U
Valdimarsdottir
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000235:genetics; D003071:Cognition; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D003704:Dementia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007055:Iceland / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D013997:Time Factors; D017805:Widowhood / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
D001057:Apolipoproteins E
dementia; executive function; marital status; memory; psychological stress