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Comparative Study
. 2009 Jun;24(2):507-12.
doi: 10.1037/a0016035.

The association of anxiety and depressive symptoms with cognitive performance in community-dwelling older adults

Sherry A Beaudreau  1 , Ruth O'Hara
Affiliations
Comparative Study

The association of anxiety and depressive symptoms with cognitive performance in community-dwelling older adults

Sherry A Beaudreau et al. Psychol Aging. 2009 Jun.

Abstract

The authors examined the association of anxiety, depressive symptoms, and their co-occurrence on cognitive processes in 102 community-dwelling older adults. Participants completed anxiety and depression questionnaires as well as measures of episodic and semantic memory, word fluency, processing speed/shifting attention, and inhibition. Participants with only increased anxiety had poorer processing speed/shifting attention and inhibition, but depressive symptoms alone were not associated with any cognitive deficits. Although coexisting anxiety and depressive symptoms were associated with deficits in 3 cognitive domains, reductions in inhibition were solely attributed to anxiety. Findings suggest an excess cognitive load on inhibitory ability in normal older adults reporting mild anxiety.

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