Cognitive Reserve and Social Capital Accrued in Early and Midlife Moderate the Relation of Psychological Stress to Cognitive Performance in Old Age

Ihle, Andreas; Oris, Michel; Sauter, Julia; Rimmele, Ulrike; Kliegel, Matthias · 2018 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.1159/000488052

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Summary

This study investigates how cognitive reserve and social capital, accrued during early and midlife, moderate the relationship between psychological stress and cognitive performance in older adults. Motivated by the need to understand individual differences in vulnerability to age-related cognitive decline, the authors hypothesized that individuals with higher reserves would be better equipped to cope with stress, thereby mitigating its detrimental effects on cognition. The research aims to extend prior literature by examining a comprehensive set of life-course markers for both cognitive reserve (education, occupation, leisure activities) and social capital (family and friends) in a large sample. The researchers analyzed data from 2,812 older adults (mean age 77.9 years) from the Vivre-Leben-Vivere survey in Switzerland. Cognitive performance was assessed using the Mill Hill Vocabulary Scale for verbal abilities and the Trail Making Test Part A for processing speed. Psychological stress was measured using the four-item Perceived Stress Scale. Markers of cognitive reserve included educational attainment, the cognitive level of the first and last professions, and the number of leisure activities in midlife and currently. Social capital was quantified by the number of significant family members and close friends. Statistical analyses involved regression models testing for moderation effects, controlling for age and sex. Results indicated that greater psychological stress was significantly associated with lower performance in both verbal abilities and processing speed. However, moderation analyses revealed that this negative relationship was significantly reduced for individuals with higher education, a higher cognitive level in their first profession, more midlife leisure activities, more significant family members, and more close friends. Specifically, in individuals with low reserves, stress strongly predicted poorer cognitive outcomes; in those with high reserves, the association between stress and cognitive performance was negligible or significantly weaker. Notably, the cognitive level of the last job and current leisure activities did not moderate the stress-cognition relationship. The findings suggest that cognitive reserve and social capital accrued in early and midlife serve as protective factors that buffer older adults against the cognitive impairments associated with psychological stress. The study highlights that early-life investments in education and cognitively demanding work, along with midlife engagement in leisure activities and the cultivation of social networks, are more critical for maintaining cognitive function under stress than late-life activities. These results support the vulnerability framework, positing that insufficient reserves increase susceptibility to stress-related decline. The authors conclude that building reserves throughout the life course is essential for resilience in old age, while acknowledging the study’s cross-sectional design limits causal inferences.

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• stress arousal performance