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Directional associations between memory impairment and depressive symptoms: data from a longitudinal sample and meta-analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 November 2017

Junhong Yu ,
Hui-Ying Lim ,
Fadzillah Nur d/o Mohd Abdullah ,
Hui-Minn Chan ,
Rathi Mahendran ,
Roger Ho ,
Ee-Heok Kua ,
Michael John Power  and
Lei Feng
Junhong Yu*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological Medicine, National University Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
Michael John Power
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
Lei Feng*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
*
Address for correspondence: Junhong Yu. E-mail: gerardyu87@gmail.com and Lei Feng. E-mail: pcmfl@nus.edu.sg
Address for correspondence: Junhong Yu. E-mail: gerardyu87@gmail.com and Lei Feng. E-mail: pcmfl@nus.edu.sg
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Abstract

Background

Previous cross-lagged studies on depression and memory impairment among the elderly have revealed conflicting findings relating to the direction of influence between depression and memory impairment. The current study aims to clarify this direction of influence by examining the cross-lagged relationships between memory impairment and depression in an Asian sample of elderly community dwellers, as well as synthesizing previous relevant cross-lagged findings via a meta-analysis.

Methods

A total of 160 participants (Mage = 68.14, s.d. = 5.34) were assessed across two time points (average of 1.9 years apart) on measures of memory and depressive symptoms. The data were then fitted to a structural equation model to examine two cross-lagged effects (i.e. depressive symptoms→memory; memory→depressive symptoms). A total of 14 effect-sizes for each of the two cross-lagged directions were extracted from six studies (including the present; total N = 8324). These effects were then meta-analyzed using a three-level mixed effects model.

Results

In the current sample, lower memory ability at baseline was associated with worse depressive symptoms levels at follow-up, after controlling for baseline depressive symptoms. However, the reverse effect was not significant; baseline depressive symptoms did not predict subsequent memory ability after controlling for baseline memory. The results of the meta-analysis revealed the same pattern of relationship between memory and depressive symptoms.

Conclusions

These results provide robust evidence that the relationship between memory impairment and depressive symptoms is unidirectional; memory impairment predicts subsequent depressive symptoms but not vice-versa. The implications of these findings are discussed

Keywords

Agingcross-laggeddepressionlongitudinalmemory
Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 48 , Issue 10 , July 2018 , pp. 1664 - 1672
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

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