Cross-sectional analysis shows mediation of cognitive function by mild behavioral impairment in older adults, highlighting roles of perceived stress and social support.
Cognitive decline presents individual and societal challenges, underscoring the importance of identifying risk factors to inform interventions for older adults. This cross-sectional study examined how physical activity (PA), perceived stress, and social support were related to cognitive function, with mild behavioral impairment (MBI) as a mediator, among 410 Thai older adults. Structural equation model revealed that perceived stress was associated with increased MBI ( p < .001), which was directly related to cognitive function ( p < .05). Higher social support was associated with lower MBI ( p < .05), while moderate-to-vigorous PA was related to reduced MBI ( p < .001) and improved cognitive function ( p < .001). MBI mediated the associations of perceived stress (indirect effect = −0.244) and moderate-to-vigorous PA (indirect effect = 0.08) with cognitive function. Perceived stress–MBI relationship was stronger in participants with chronic diseases (∆ χ 2 = 4.236; p = 0.025). Findings support developing interventions to mitigate MBI, with input from health care professionals.
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Suriyawong et al. (2025) studied this question.
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