Browsing by Author "Tyas, Suzanne L"

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Exploring the differential impacts of social isolation, loneliness, and their combination on the memory of an aging population: A 6-year longitudinal study of the CLSA
(Elsevier, 2024) Kang, Ji Won; Oremus, Mark; Dubin, Joel; Tyas, Suzanne L; Oga-Omenka, Charity; Golberg, Meira
Memory plays a crucial role in cognitive health. Social isolation (SI) and loneliness (LON) are recognized risk factors for global cognition, although their combined effects on memory have been understudied in the literature. This study used three waves of data over six years from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging to examine whether SI and LON are individually and jointly associated with memory in community-dwelling middle-aged and older adults (n = 14,208). LON was assessed with the question: "In the last week, how often did you feel lonely?". SI was measured using an index based on marital/cohabiting status, retirement status, social activity participation, and social network contacts. Memory was evaluated with combined z-scores from two administrations of the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (immediate-recall, delayed-recall). We conducted our analyses using all available data across the three timepoints and retained participants with missing covariate data. Linear mixed models were used to regress combined memory scores onto SI and LON, adjusting for sociodemographic, health, functional ability, and lifestyle variables. Experiencing both SI and LON had the greatest inverse effect on memory (least-squares mean: -0.80 [95 % confidence-interval: -1.22, -0.39]), followed by LON alone (-0.73 [-1.13, -0.34]), then SI alone (-0.69 [-1.09, -0.29]), and lastly by being neither lonely nor isolated (-0.65 [-1.05, -0.25]). Sensitivity analyses confirmed this hierarchy of effects. Policies developed to enhance memory in middle-aged and older adults might achieve greater benefits when targeting the alleviation of both SI and LON rather than one or the other individually.
The association between functional social support, marital status and memory in middle-aged and older adults: An analysis of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging
(Elsevier, 2025) Haghighi, Paniz; Zeng, Leilei; Tyas, Suzanne L; Meyer, Samantha B; Oremus, Mark
Purpose Although several studies have reported positive associations between functional social support (FSS) and memory, few have explored how other social variables, such as marital status, may affect the magnitude and direction of this association. We examined whether marital status modifies the association between FSS and memory in a sample of community-dwelling, middle-aged and older adults. Methods Data at three timepoints, spanning six years, were analyzed from the Tracking Cohort of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (n = 10,318). Linear mixed models were used to regress memory onto FSS across all three timepoints, adjusting for multiple covariates. The moderating effect of marital status was assessed by adding its interaction with FSS in the model. Separate regression models were built for overall FSS and four subtypes (positive interactions, affectionate, emotional/informational, and tangible support). Results We found significant and positive adjusted associations for overall FSS (β: 0.07; 95 % CI: 0.01, 0.13), positive interactions (β: 0.06; 95 % CI: 0.01, 0.11), and affectionate support (β: 0.05; 95 % CI: 0.00, 0.11) with memory. However, the interaction between marital status and FSS (overall and subtypes) was not statistically significant (likelihood ratio test p-value = 0.75), indicating that FSS does not have differing effects on memory depending on marital status. Conclusion Our findings do not provide evidence to suggest that marital status affects the association between FSS and memory in middle-aged and older adults. Nonetheless, policymakers and practitioners should take a comprehensive approach when exploring how various dimensions of social relationships may uniquely influence cognitive trajectories.