Abstract
Background
Psychological disorders and cognitive impairment frequently co-occur in older adults, posing challenges to healthy aging. This study aimed to examine the association between late-life psychological disorders and the risk of developing cognitive impairment.
Methods
Prospective study analyzed data from 28,706 older adults enrolled in the Taipei City Older Adults Health Examination (2012–2016), among whom 10.3% developed cognitive impairment during follow-up. Psychological disorders were assessed using the five-item Brief Symptom Rating Scale (BSRS-5), and cognitive impairment was evaluated with the Ascertain Dementia eight-item Questionnaire (AD-8). Cox proportional hazards models were applied to estimate the associations.
Results
Psychological disorder severity exhibited a dose–response relationship with cognitive impairment risk. Compared to participants without disorders, those with mild, moderate, and severe symptoms had 2.47-, 3.99-, and 8.60-fold increased risks of cognitive impairment, respectively.
Conclusion
Early identification and targeted interventions for psychological disorders may mitigate the risk of cognitive decline and promote healthy aging.
Keywords
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Supplementary Material
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