Findings seen specifically for the components of purpose in life and personal growth
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, Aug. 20, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Psychological well-being can significantly decline years before a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), regardless of the ultimate development of dementia, according to a study published online Aug. 13 in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry.
Jie Guo, from China Agricultural University in Beijing, and colleagues explored psychological well-being trajectories before and after the diagnosis of MCI and dementia. The analysis included 910 cognitively intact older adults participating in the Rush Memory and Aging Project, with annual follow-up for up to 14 years.
The researchers found that compared with participants who remained cognitively intact, those who developed incident MCI had a faster decline in psychological well-being (β, â0.015), with lower well-being two years before MCI diagnosis. Among those who developed MCI, lower levels of purpose in life and personal growth were detected three years (â0.126) and six years (â0.139) before MCI, respectively. Except for positive relations with others, the slope of psychological well-being decline was similar before and after MCI diagnosis for other components. Well-being trajectories were similar for MCI regardless of whether individuals later developed dementia.
“Reduced psychological well-being, even in the absence of evident cognitive impairment, may serve as a predictor for impaired cognitive function, and postdiagnostic psychological support should be planned for people diagnosed with dementing disorders,” the authors write.
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