Abstract (original)

Objective: This study examines how multiple dimensions of socio-emotional well-being relate to cognitive functioning in older adults, and whether the associations vary by cognitive status, depression, and socio-demographic factors.

Methods: Data from the Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (n = 2,650; mean age = 76; 54.5% females) were used to test associations between life satisfaction, meaning in life, social connectedness, and loneliness with global, domain-specific cognitive performance, and informant-rated cognitive decline.

Results: Linear mixed models, with individuals nested within five countries, found that higher life satisfaction, meaning in life, and social connectedness were associated with better cognitive outcomes, whereas greater loneliness was associated with worse performance and greater informant-rated decline. The largest effect sizes were observed for meaning in life (median β = .10) and loneliness (median β = −.09) across cognitive measures. The associations generally remained significant adjusting for well-known clinical (e.g., diabetes), behavioral (e.g., physical inactivity), and psychological (depressive symptomatology) risk factors for dementia. Moderation and sensitivity analyses suggested that associations with global cognition hinged on the inclusion of participants classified with cognitive impairment, while some domain-specific associations (e.g., loneliness and episodic memory) were observed only in individuals without cognitive impairment. Overall, evidence for moderation by cognitive status, depression and age was limited, and no moderation was observed for sex or education.

Conclusions: The results underscore the importance of socio-emotional well-being in cognitive aging and highlight the need for longitudinal research to clarify mechanistic pathways and inform targeted interventions.