Effects of Persistent Depression on Recall Memory are Moderated by Subjective Age Levels: Evidence From Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract

Results concerning memory performance in older adults with persistent-depression versus other depressive states (i.e., no-depression, past-depression and current-depression) are disparate. This study examined if persistent-depression is linked with impaired memory (measured by recall), and whether this link is moderated by one's feeling older or younger (subjective age). The study used data from waves 5 and 6 of SHARE-Israel (Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe), collected in 2013 and 2015. This representative sample focuses on adults aged 50 and above (N = 1254, mean age = 68.4 ± 9.02). Each wave assessed depression, immediate and delayed recall, fluency and numeracy; subjective age was assessed only at 2015. The main moderation effect was analysed with a hierarchical regression analysis. Memory impairments in the persistent-depression group were evident only for those feeling older. There were no effects of subjective age on fluency and numeracy tasks. Limitations include usage of self-report measures to assess depression, as well as applying a minimal inter-wave duration (2 years) to assess persistent depression. Results are aligned with a resource-stress account of subjective which claims that one's subjective age refelcts a ratio of resoucres-to-stress. Implications suggest that challenges of ageing in the shadow of depression can be compounded by feeling older, that memory (vs. other cognitive tasks) may be uniquely linked with subjective age, and that feeling older is a potential risk factor for impaired memory in persistent-depression. The importance of possible interventions aimed at lowering subjective age are mentioned.