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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Christopher B. Rosnick, PhD, Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, 415 South Street MS062, Waltham, MA 02454, 781-736-5005, crosnick@brandeis.edu, Brent J. Small, PhD, School of Aging Studies, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., MHC 1346, Tampa, FL 33620, and Allison M. Burton, PhD, Center for Health Services Research in Primary Care, Durham VAMC/Duke University Medical Center, Hock Plaza Suite 1105 Box 2720, 2424 Erwin Rd, Durham, NC 27705.

The current study examined the association between bereavement and cross-sectional differences and longitudinal changes in cognitive performance in a sample of older adults. Secondary cross-sectional data analysis was conducted on 209 participants from the MacArthur Battery dataset, a subset of the Changing Lives of Older Couples dataset. Participants completed tests of episodic memory, verbal ability, and visuospatial skills six and eighteen months post-loss.

Hierarchical multiple regression results suggested that bereavement status alone was not associated with cognitive performance. On the other hand, there were several significant interactions between bereavement status and the background characteristics (i.e., age and gender). The hierarchical residualized regressions revealed that the bereaved individuals declined on the delayed naming recall task over the twelve-month period. Furthermore, there was a significant interaction between gender and bereavement status on the delayed story recall task: bereaved males experienced greater declines over the twelve-month period compared to non-bereaved males and the bereaved females exhibited improvements over the study period compared to non-bereaved females.

Our results support the finding that bereavement is associated with poorer cognitive performance within certain subgroups (i.e., males and the young-old participants). Possible explanations for the current findings are that the bereaved individuals may have much higher stress levels compared to the non-bereaved individuals and that the bereaved group may have intrusive thoughts about the loss of their spouse that utilizes important attention resources necessary for the cognitive tasks.

Learning Objectives: After attending the session, the individual will be able to

• Describe the relationship between bereavement and cognitive functioning
• Identify subgroups that are particularly vulnerable to the loss of a loved one.
• Discuss possible reasons why bereavement has a negative impact on the cognitive functioning.

Keywords: Death, Aging

Awards: James G. Zimmer New Investigator Research Award (less than 5 years after completing terminal degree) - Honorable Mention

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered