The role of cognitive impairment in psychosocial functioning in remitted depression

Abstract

Background: Cognitive dysfunction is a prevalent and disabling symptom of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), and is often retained in the remitted stage of illness. Emerging evidence suggests that cognitive impairment may be associated with dysfunction in a number of psychosocial domains (e.g., workplace productivity, social relationships). The current study explored the relationship between cognition and psychosocial functioning in remitted MDD and in healthy controls.

Methods: Data were obtained from 182 participants of the Cognitive Function and Mood Study (CoFaM-S), a cross-sectional study of cognition, mood, and social cognition in mood disorders. Participants' (Remitted MDD n = 72, Healthy n = 110) cognition was assessed with a battery of cognitive tests including the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Function (RBANS) and other standard measures of cognition (e.g., The Tower of London task). Psychosocial functioning was clinically evaluated with the Functioning Assessment Short Test (FAST).

Results: The results indicated that executive functioning was the strongest independent predictor of functioning in remitted MDD patients, whereas various cognitive domains predicted psychosocial functioning in healthy individuals.

Limitations: Psychosocial functioning was measured with a clinical interview, and was therefore reliant on clinicians' judgement of impairment, as opposed to more objective measures of functioning.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that executive cognition plays an important role in functional recovery in remitted depression, and may be a crucial target in adjunctive treatment.

Keywords: Cognition; Executive functioning; Major depression; Mdd; Psychosocial Functioning; Remitted depression.