Risk of Dementia in Older Adults With Low Versus High Occupation-Based Motivational Processes: Differential Impact of Frequency and Proximity of Social Network

This study investigates the impact of occupation-based motivational processes and social network variables on the incidence of dementia over 8 years. Method: Data were derived from the Leipzig Longitudinal Study of the Aged (LEILA75+), a population-based longitudinal study of individuals aged 75 years and older (n = 1692 at baseline). Motivational processes were estimated based on the main occupation using the Occupational Information Network database. Results: In a Cox proportional hazard model, motivational processes were not associated with the risk of dementia (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.93, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.74-1.16). Individuals with a higher frequency of social contact at baseline had a significantly lower risk of dementia (HR: 0.96, 95% CI: 0.91-0.99), while proximity of social contacts was not linked to the risk of dementia (HR: 1.03, 95% CI: 0.98-1.08). In individuals with low indices of motivational processes, the frequency of social contacts was associated with a lower risk of dementia (HR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.88-1.00). On the other hand, proximity of social contacts was linked to a higher risk of dementia in individuals with high indices of motivational processes (HR: 1.09, 95% CI: 1.01-1.19). Discussion: Results indicate that the frequency and proximity of social contacts have a differential impact on the risk of dementia according to lower or higher indices of motivational processes, while the impact of motivational processes on risk of dementia could no...
Source: Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology - Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Tags: Articles Source Type: research