Dementia Worry and Depression: A Systematic Review
Sabine Lohmar

TL;DR
This paper reviews research showing that worry about dementia is linked to depression, with the strength of the link varying based on factors like exposure to dementia and gender.
Contribution
The paper provides the first systematic review examining the relationship between dementia worry and depressive symptoms.
Findings
Dementia worry and depressive symptoms are positively related.
The strength of the relationship varies with exposure to dementia, gender, and the intensity of worry.
Avoidant behaviors may mediate the relationship, potentially worsening distress and delaying cognitive testing.
Abstract
Dementia worry (DW), a response ranging from mild concern to severe anxiety about developing dementia, has been increasingly recognized as a significant psychological concern (Kessler et al., 2012). It is unclear, though, whether DW is associated with psychosocial variables such as depression (e.g., Kinzer & Suhr, 2016; Spalding et al., 2024) and no systematic reviews exist on the topic. Investigating this relationship is crucial to understanding how DW develops and is maintained. This systematic review evaluates and synthesizes the current literature on the relationship between DW and depressive symptoms. A comprehensive search of five databases was conducted between September and October of 2024. Studies were included if they were peer-reviewed, available in English, and statistically examined the relation between DW and depressive symptoms. This process identified 22 studies with 19…
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Taxonomy
TopicsDementia and Cognitive Impairment Research · Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes · Mental Health Research Topics
