Associations between social support and verbal memory: 14-year follow-up of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing cohort

ObjectiveExamine the longitudinal associations between social support and verbal memory among community-dwelling adults. ParticipantsIn the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, 10,837 participants aged 50-89 years were assessed at wave 1 (baseline: 2002-03) and followed-up over 14-years to wave 8 (2016-17). MethodsVerbal memory was assessed at each wave by tests of immediate and delayed word-recall. Positive and negative social support were measured across four types of relationship (spouse/partner, children, friends, extended family). Linear mixed effects modelling examined the between-person (PM) and within-person (PM) associations between social support and verbal memory. Interaction terms were fitted to estimate differences in the rate of change in verbal memory by social support. ResultsWhen we summed scores across all relationships (global social support), higher-than-average (PM) positive social support was associated with higher baseline verbal memory ({beta}PM = 0.015; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.008, 0.025; p < 0.001) and with slower decline ({beta}PM-by-time = 0.003; 95% CI: 0.001, 0.005; p = 0.003). Longitudinal associations were gender- and source-specific. Among men, slower decline in verbal memory was associated with higher positive social support from children ({beta}PM-by-time = 0.009; 95% CI: 0.002, 0.016; p = 0.011) and with lower negative social support from spouse/partner ({beta}PM-by- time = -0.016; 95% CI: -0.031, 0.000; p = 0.045) and from friends ({beta}PM-by-time = -0.021; 95% CI: -0.039, -0.004; p = 0.018). Among women, higher positive social support from extended family was associated with slower decline in verbal memory ({beta}PM-by-time = 0.008; 95% CI: 0.000, 0.015; p = 0.049). ConclusionsBetween-person differences in social support were modestly associated with differential decline in verbal memory. Our findings can inform future research studies and intervention strategies designed to maximise the potential role of supportive relationships in promoting healthy cognitive ageing.