Is psychological engagement more important than participation? Volunteer activity and subjective cognitive function in older adults

TL;DR

The study suggests that how engaged older adults are in volunteering, rather than just participating, may better support their cognitive health.

Contribution

The study introduces psychological engagement in volunteering as a novel factor linked to cognitive health in older adults.

Findings

Highly engaged volunteers had lower odds of low cognitive function compared to non-volunteers.

Simply participating in volunteering was not significantly linked to cognitive health.

Low-engagement volunteers showed no significant difference from non-volunteers in cognitive outcomes.

Abstract

While previous studies have shown inconsistent associations between volunteer participation and cognitive health in later life, less attention has been paid to qualitative aspects of engagement. This study examined whether psychological engagement in volunteer activities is associated with subjective cognitive function in community-dwelling older adults.

This cross-sectional study included 431 community-dwelling older adults (mean age: 78.2 ± 5.7 years; 90.0% female) from self-management exercise class. Volunteer activity status was assessed using a self-reported participation questionnaire. Psychological engagement (Volunteer Engagement; VE) was evaluated using a three-item version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale adapted for volunteer settings. Based on VE scores, the participants were categorized into three groups: non-volunteers, low-engagement volunteers, and high-engagement volunteers. Subjective cognitive function was assessed using three self-reported items addressing memory complaints and disorientation, derived from the Kihon Checklist. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the associations between (1) volunteer activity status and (2) VE scores with low cognitive function, adjusting for relevant covariates.

Of 431 participants, 60.1% reported volunteering. There was no significant association between being a volunteer and low cognitive function. In contrast, high-engagement volunteers had significantly lower odds of low cognitive function than non-volunteers (OR = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.27–0.97). No significant differences were observed between low-engagement volunteers and non-volunteers.

These findings suggest that psychological engagement in volunteer activities rather than mere participation may be more closely related to the subjective cognitive health of older adults. Highlighting this engagement may help inform policies and programs for promoting cognitive health.

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