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. 2022 May 11:14:890404.
doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.890404. eCollection 2022.

Racial Differences in Associations of Cognitive Health Status With Happiness, Helplessness, and Hopelessness Among Older Adults: An Exploratory Study

Emre Umucu  1 , Beatrice Lee  1 , Mary Wyman  2   3   4 , Diane Carol Gooding  5 , Carol Ann Van Hulle  3   4 , Adrienne Johnson  6 , Carola A Ferrer Simo  4   7 , Fabu Carter  4 , Hector Salazar  4 , Taryn T James  2 , Shenikqua Bouges  2 , Nicholas H Lambrou  2 , Sterling C Johnson  4   7   8 , Sanjay Asthana  2   4   7   8 , Carey E Gleason  4   7   8
Affiliations

Racial Differences in Associations of Cognitive Health Status With Happiness, Helplessness, and Hopelessness Among Older Adults: An Exploratory Study

Emre Umucu et al. Front Aging Neurosci. .

Abstract

Background: The relationship between healthy and positive aging and dementia and cognitive impairment has received limited attention in the field of aging. Affect impacts cognitive changes and processes, and cognitive impairment is associated with affective comorbidities. The purpose of the study was to examine (a) whether happiness, helplessness, and hopelessness are linked to cognitive health status, and (b) whether these associations differ by race.

Methods: Participants were enrollees in the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center's Clinical Core (ADRC). Average age at baseline was 60.85 (SD = 8.65), 73.70 (SD = 8.02), and 73.80 (SD = 9.59) years for cognitively normal individuals, individuals with MCI, and individuals with dementia, respectively.

Results: In the full sample, chi-square test results revealed associations between Cognitive Health Status (CHS) and (a) happiness, χ2(2) = 6.06, p < 0.05, (b) helplessness, χ2(2) = 6.44, p < 0.05, and (c) hopelessness, χ2(2) = 14.11, p < 0.01.

Conclusion: This study provides support for the association of both positive and negative affect with cognitive health status in middle- to older-aged adults.

Keywords: MCI; dementia; happiness; helplessness; hopelessness; race.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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