Is lower cognitive function in one spouse associated with depressive symptoms in the other spouse?

Abstract

This study examines whether lower cognitive function in one spouse is associated with depressive symptoms in the other spouse. The subjects were 528 community-dwelling spouse pairs aged 65+ who participated in the Chicago Health and Aging Project (CHAP), an ongoing longitudinal, bi-racial, population-based study of risk factors for incident Alzheimer's disease and other age-related chronic conditions. CHAP participants were assessed at 3-year intervals over a period of nearly ten years. The results show a cross-sectional association of wives’ lower cognitive function at baseline with depressive symptoms in husbands; however, husbands’ cognitive function was not associated with wives’ depressive symptoms. There was no longitudinal association of cognitive function at baseline with increased depressive symptoms over time. Furthermore, change in cognitive function over time had no effect on depressive symptoms in either spouse. The relationship between cognitive function and depressive symptoms in spouse pairs is complex. Our findings suggest that husbands may be particularly psychologically vulnerable to the negative effects of their wives’ cognitive impairment. This vulnerability may have a range of long-term health and caregiving implications.

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health: National Institute on Aging (AG11101) and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (ES10902). We thank Ms. Michelle Bos, Ms. Holly Hadden, Mr. Flavio LaMorticella, and Ms. Jennifer Tarpey for coordination of the study. We also thank Ms. Liping Gu, M.S., for statistical programming.