Boredom-proneness, loneliness, social engagement and depression and their association with cognitive function in older people: A population study

In this study, we use data from a population survey of persons aged 65 and over living in the Irish Republic to examine the relationship of cognitive impairment, assessed using the Abbreviated Mental Test, with loneliness, boredom-proneness, social relations, and depression. Participants were randomly selected community-dwelling Irish people aged 65+ years. An Abbreviated Mental Test score of 8 or 9 out of 10 was classified as ‘low normal’, and a score of less than 8 as ‘possible cognitive impairment’. We used clustering around latent variables analysis (CLV) to identify families of variables associated with reduced cognitive function. The overall prevalence of possible cognitive impairment was 14.7% (95% CI 12.4–17.3%). Low normal scores had a prevalence of 30.5% (95% CI 27.2–33.7%). CLV analysis identified three groups of predictors: ‘Low social support’ (widowed, living alone, low social support), ‘personal cognitive reserve’ (low social activity, no leisure exercise, never having married, loneliness a...