Prospective Impacts of Social Participation Activities on Cognitive and Psychopathological Statuses in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

ABSTRACT

Objectives

This study investigated the impact of social activities on cognitive functioning and psychopathological symptoms.

Methods

Participants aged 55 or older were enrolled through communities. Initial measures assessed demographic data, neuropsychological functioning, psychopathological state, and happiness. Social activities were evaluated using a modified 12-item tool, with 3–4 activities as the cutoff. Follow-up after 6–9 months included Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Beck Depression Inventory – II (BDI-II), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), and Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15) measurements. Predictive models for psychiatric and cognitive statuses were built using multiple linear regression, adjusting for baseline conditions.

Results

Initially, 516 older individuals enrolled, with 403 undergoing follow-up. During follow-up, the low participation group reported lower MMSE scores, higher BAI scores, and increased PHQ-15 risk. Negative correlations between social activity numbers and PHQ-15 results were found. Engagement in social clubs correlated positively with higher MMSE scores, while regular interactions with one’s adult child(ren) were linked to decreased BAI scores.

Conclusions

The quantity of social activities was associated with lower somatic distress. Social club engagement positively influenced cognition, and regular interactions with one’s adult child(ren) mitigated anxiety among older individuals.

Clinical implications

Enough types of social activities, participating in social clubs, and adequate interactions with children protected against psychopathologies.

KEYWORDS:

• Cognitive function
• older adults
• predictive models
• psychopathological symptoms
• social participation activities

Acknowledgments

We thank Pei-Yi Wu, Jhih-Yun Lin, Sih-Syuan Wu, Po-Rui Huang, and Shih-Yun Huang for their administrative work during recruitment and manuscript preparation.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Author contributions

Wei-Lieh Huang conceptualized the study, did the data analyses, and critically revised the manuscript for submission. Kai-Chieh Chang originally drafted the manuscript. Kai-Chieh Chang and Hsin-Shui Chen managed recruitment. Chi-Shin Wu, Chin-Kai Chang, Juey-Jen Hwang, Su-Hua Huang, Yung-Ming Chen, Bor-Wen Cheng, Min-Hsiu Weng, and Chih-Cheng Hsu interpreted the findings jointly and provided feedback on drafts of the manuscript. All authors approved the final draft.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by National Health Research Institutes, Taiwan [grant number: NHRI-11A1-CG-CO-02-2225-2] and National Taiwan University Hospital Yunlin Branch, Taiwan [grant number: NTUHYL112.F002].