Adverse life events and cognition in older adults: the role of gender and psychological resilience

OBJECTIVES: This study examined gender differences in the association between stressful life events and late-life cognition, with psychological resilience as a potential moderating factor. METHODS: Longitudinal data were drawn from a population-based sample of 1815 participants (Mage = 70.71, SDage = 1.50, 48% women). Stressful life events were indicated by both the number of recent life events in the past six months measured by the List of Threatening Events Questionnaire (LTE-Q) and lifetime traumatic experiences captured by questions from the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). Cognitive outcomes included neuropsychological assessments of incident dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and domain-specific performance. Psychological resilience was measured by the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. Logistic and linear models were conducted, adjusting for common risk factors. RESULTS: Lifetime trauma was associated with higher MCI (OR = 1.78, p <.001) and dementia risk (OR = 1.18, p = 0.02), and poorer performance in memory and executive function. Gender differences were found. Psychological resilience was more strongly associated with better executive function in men than in women (B = 0.03, p = 0.04, 95% CI[0.00, 0.07]). It also buffers the impact of lifetime trauma on working memory, and the effect was stronger in men than in women (B = 0.11, p = 0.04). DISCUSSION: The impact of stressful life events on cognition may differ by gender, potentially reflecting gender-specific types of stressors and coping mechanisms. Further investigations on the social and individual factors that contribute to psychological resilience and their role in cognitive ageing are warranted.