Contact frequency and cognitive health among older adults in Israel

ABSTRACT

Objectives: The current study set out to examine the links between contact frequency with one's social network and cognitive health in later life. It assessed both direct and indirect pathways and the possible role of ethnicity in the effect of the social network on cognitive function.

Method: We used data from adults aged 50 and above, which was collected in Israel as part of the Survey of Ageing, Retirement and Health (SHARE). A moderated mediation analysis was conducted to test the direct and indirect associations between contact frequency and cognitive function, as well as the moderation of these associations by population group. Three population groups were examined – veteran-Jews, Arabs and immigrants from the former Soviet Union.

Results: Contact frequency with the close social milieu was found to be directly positively related to cognitive function. The association was also mediated by depressive symptoms, such that frequent contacts were linked to cognitive health via reduced depressive symptoms. This indirect link differed, however, among the three population groups.

Conclusion: Contact frequency is important for cognitive health in the second half of life, and it operates both directly and by decreasing depressive symptoms. However, these links are not found among all ethnic groups and may, therefore, depend on the culture and social norms of each group and the meaning attributed to social ties.

KEYWORDS:

• Psychosocial and cultural aspects
• depression
• cognitive functioning

Acknowledgments

Funding for this research, from the Bader Philanthropies, Inc., is gratefully acknowledged.

Disclosure of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This paper uses data from SHARE Wave 6 (DOI: 10.6103/SHARE.w6.600). The SHARE data collection has been primarily funded by the European Commission through FP5 (QLK6-CT-2001–00 360), FP6 (SHARE-I3: RII-CT-2006–062 193, COMPARE: CIT5-CT-2005–028 857, SHARELIFE: CIT4-CT-2006–028 812) and FP7 (SHARE-PREP: N°211 909, SHARE-LEAP: N°227 822, SHARE M4: N°261 982). Additional funding from the German Ministry of Education and Research, the Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science, the U.S. National Institute on Aging (U01_AG09740–13S2, P01_AG005842, P01_AG08291, P30_AG12815, R21_AG025169, Y1-AG-4553–01, IAG_BSR06–11, OGHA_04–064, HHSN271201300071C) and from various national funding sources is gratefully acknowledged (see www.share-project.org).