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. 2019 Aug 1;14(8):e0220195.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0220195. eCollection 2019.

Social engagement before and after dementia diagnosis in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

Ruth A Hackett  1 , Andrew Steptoe  1 , Dorina Cadar  1 , Daisy Fancourt  1
Affiliations

Social engagement before and after dementia diagnosis in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

Ruth A Hackett et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Background: Social engagement protects against dementia onset. Less is known about patterns of social engagement around the time of dementia diagnosis. We investigated face-to-face and telephone contact at three times (pre-diagnosis, at report of diagnosis, 2 years post-diagnosis) in individuals who developed dementia and a comparison group.

Methods: Social engagement was assessed at waves 2-7 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing in 4171 individuals aged 50 and older. Dementia was ascertained by either self-reported physician diagnosis or through an informant evaluation of a participant's functional and cognitive performance compared with a few years earlier. Generalized estimating equations were used to examine differences by group, time, and group-by-time interactions.

Results: The dementia group reported less face-to-face (p < 0.001) and telephone contact (p < 0.001) than the dementia-free group pre-diagnosis. The dementia group experienced greater reductions in social engagement leading up to dementia diagnosis and in the 2 years following diagnosis (p's < 0.001).

Conclusion: Given that social engagement reduces dementia risk and supports the lived experience of people with dementia, it is important to find ways of promoting social interaction in older adults.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Flow diagram of participants included and excluded from the analyses.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Proportion meeting friends & family on a monthly basis.
Weighted and adjusted for age, sex, wealth and education. Error bars are standard error of mean.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Proportion telephoning friends & family on a monthly basis.
Weighted and adjusted for age, sex, wealth and education. Error bars are standard error of mean.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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