Mediation of perceived stress and cortisol in the association between neuroticism and global cognition in older adults: A longitudinal study

Montoliu T. ; Pulopulos M.M. (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Puig-Pérez S. ; Hidalgo V. (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Salvador A.

Resumen: Neuroticism has been associated with a greater dementia risk, but its association with cognitive decline in healthy older adults remains unclear. Stress has been proposed as one of the mechanisms that could explain this relationship. Our aim was to analyse, in healthy older people, the mediating role of perceived stress and the Hypothalamic–Pituitary–Adrenal (HPA) axis in the association between neuroticism and global cognition. At Waves 1 and 2 (4-year follow-up), 87 older people (49.4% women; M age = 65.08, SD = 4.54 at Wave 1) completed a neuropsychological battery and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and provided saliva samples on two (Wave 1) and three (Wave 2) consecutive days to measure the wake-to-bed slope. In Wave 2, neuroticism was assessed with the NEO-Five-Factor Inventory. PSS, but not the wake-to-bed slope, mediated the negative associations between neuroticism and global cognition (Waves 1, 2 and change). Regarding gender differences, PSS (Waves 1, 2 and change) and the wake-to-bed slope (Wave 2 and change) mediated these associations in men. Our results suggest that perceived stress and HPA-axis dysregulation could act as mechanisms underlying the association between neuroticism and cognitive functioning and decline, at least in older men. © 2021. The Authors. Stress and Health published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Idioma: Inglés

DOI: 10.1002/smi.3088

Año: 2022

Publicado en: Stress and Health 38, 2 (2022), 290-303
ISSN: 1532-3005

Factor impacto JCR: 4.1 (2022)

Categ. JCR: PSYCHOLOGY rank: 17 / 81 = 0.21 (2022) - Q1 - T1
Categ. JCR: PSYCHOLOGY, APPLIED rank: 26 / 83 = 0.313 (2022) - Q2 - T1
Categ. JCR: PSYCHIATRY rank: 49 / 143 = 0.343 (2022) - Q2 - T2
Categ. JCR: PSYCHIATRY rank: 66 / 154 = 0.429 (2022) - Q2 - T2

Factor impacto CITESCORE: 5.4 - Medicine (Q2) - Psychology (Q1)

Factor impacto SCIMAGO: 1.196 - Applied Psychology (Q1) - Psychiatry and Mental Health (Q1) - Medicine (miscellaneous) (Q1) - Clinical Psychology (Q1)

Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/DGA-FEDER/Construyendo Europa desde Aragón
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/DGA-FEDER/S31-20D
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MEC/PSI2013-46889
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MEC/PSI2016-78763

Tipo y forma: Article (Published version)

Área (Departamento): Área Psicobiología (Dpto. Psicología y Sociología)