The Association between Social Isolation, Functional Social Support, and Memory: A Moderated Mediation Analysis of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging
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Date
2024-06-20
Authors
Endresz, Nicole
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Publisher
University of Waterloo
Abstract
Social support is a widely investigated, modifiable factor thought to promote memory function and successful aging. However, the intertwined effects of the two components of social support – objective social isolation and subjective functional social support – on memory are less understood. Therefore, we explored whether social isolation was associated with memory function in middle-aged and older adults, and whether this association was mediated by functional social support. We also examined moderated mediation by age group and sex.
We analyzed data from the baseline and first follow-up waves of the Tracking Cohort of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. These data included a derived variable for social isolation, a standardized instrument for self-reported functional social support, and a combined immediate and delayed recall memory score from a modified version of the Rey Auditory Visual Learning Test. Using multiple linear regression and an analytical sample of 12,834, we regressed memory scores at follow-up onto baseline social isolation status, controlling for baseline sociodemographic, health, and lifestyle covariates, baseline memory, and baseline and follow-up functional social support. We further assessed whether functional social support at follow-up mediated the association between baseline social isolation and follow-up memory. To assess moderated mediation, each path of the mediation analysis was stratified by age group and sex
The independent and direct effect of social isolation on memory controlling for covariates showed a non-statistically significant, inverse association. Social isolation predicted lower levels of functional social support, whereas high functional social support was associated with higher memory scores. Memory scores decreased on average by 0.03 points in socially isolated participants versus non-isolated participants, when mediated by functional social support. Lastly, some evidence of effect modification was found by the oldest age group on the “a” path of the mediation analysis.
This thesis provides novel findings on the mediating effect of functional social support on the relationship between social isolation and memory. Our findings suggest the association between social isolation and memory operates through, not independently of, functional social support. Health professionals working with socially isolated individuals at risk of, or experiencing, memory problems should pay particular attention to these individuals' levels of functional social support.
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Keywords
social isolation, functional social support, memory function, CLSA