Age Differences in Associations Between Daily Emotional Support Provision and Memory Lapses

TL;DR

Older adults who provide more emotional support report more memory lapses, suggesting a link between social behaviors and cognitive health.

Contribution

This study is the first to examine age differences in the relationship between emotional support provision and memory lapses.

Findings

Providing emotional support is associated with increased retrospective and prospective memory lapses.

The association between emotional support and prospective memory lapses is stronger in older adults.

Older adults may have fewer cognitive resources to manage emotional support and memory tasks simultaneously.

Abstract

Subjective cognitive complaints (e.g., memory lapses) may be an early warning sign of dementia detectable prior to declines in performance-based cognitive function. Identifying modifiable behaviors related to memory lapses is needed to target ways to promote cognitive health in everyday life. The role of emotional support provision, an interpersonal behavior requiring cognitive resources, has not been examined. We address this gap by assessing age differences in associations between emotional support provision and memory lapses. In 1,236 adults from the National Study of Daily Experiences (average age=67.67 years, SD = 10.34, 57% female), participants completed surveys for 8 days with questions regarding whether they gave emotional support and experienced retrospective or prospective memory lapses. We aggregated responses across days to calculate individual differences in proportion of days participants gave emotional support and reported memory lapses. Regression analyses adjusted for age, sex, education, race, caregiving status, and receipt of emotional support. People who gave more emotional support reported more retrospective (Est.=0.08, SE = 0.04, p = 0.02, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.16) and prospective memory lapses (Est.=0.14, SE = 0.03, p<.001, 95% CI: 0.08, 0.20). Age moderated the association between emotional support provision and prospective lapses (Est.=0.01, SE = 0.01, p<.01, 95% CI: 0.002, 0.01) such that the association between emotional support provision and prospective memory lapses was amplified in comparatively older adults (Est.=0.21, SE = 0.04, p<.001, 95% CI: 0.13, 0.30). Results indicate emotional support provision is linked to elevated risk of memory lapses, especially for comparatively older adults that may have less resources to manage demands of emotional support provision and prospective memory.