Family dysfunction and cognitive decline in aging: the “Health, Wellbeing, and Aging” (SABE) longitudinal population-based study

Stress during aging is not uncommon and dysfunctional family relationships are important sources of stress in the elderly. Considering the potential stressor that family dysfunction represents, it is questioned whether prolonged exposure to dysfunctional family arrangements can contribute to cognitive decline in aging. OBJECTIVE: To verify whether family dysfunction is a predictive factor of cognitive decline in aging. METHODS: Secondary study with analysis of existing data from the longitudinal, population-based study “Health, Wellbeing and Aging” (SABE). Data from 791 elderly people from two cohorts of the SABE study between 2006 and 2015 were analyzed. Family dysfunction was assessed using the Apgar family instrument, while cognitive performance was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), verbal fluency (animals) and digit length in reverse order. Cognitive decline was measured by the difference in scores in the period between 2006 and 2015. RESULTS: Approximately 10% of the sample had family dysfunction. The familial Apgar score was not associated with decline on MMSE (p=0.732), verbal fluency (p=0.852) and digit span scores (p=0.718). Scores related to cognition and family functionality, such as age, education, living alone, depression and family Apgar, do not explain cognitive decline. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that family functioning is not associated with cognitive decline in community-dwelling elderly. New studies will be needed to analyze the qualitative characteristics of family relationships in the cognitive performance of the elderly.