The need to belong: A parallel process latent growth curve model of late life negative affect and cognitive function

Objective: Late life negative affect (NA) often co-occurs with poor cognitive function (CF); however, very little is known about the mechanism of the relationship between them. We examined the longitudinal relationship between NA and CF over a 12-year period and the effects of several related risk factors in a general sample. Methods: Five waves of data on Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) were collected from a total of 1,314 elderly Chinese, aged 60 and over. A parallel process latent growth curve model with two time-invariant covariates and seven time-varying covariates was used to demonstrate the joint trajectories of NA and CF to assess their related factors in the elderly during a 12-year period. Results: Significant association of negative affect and cognitive decline was found at baseline and over time for our sample. Poorer initial cognitive performance predicted a faster increase in negative affect over time. Being female was associated with worse initial performance and a faster rate of deterioration of NA and CF. Regular exercise, married status, social activities, and Mahjong playing were associated with slower rates of negative affect increase and cognitive decline. Conclusion: These findings demonstrated that the late life negative affect co-occurs with cognitive decline and negative affect might be a mutative mental reaction to cognitive dysfunction. Gender difference, exercise benefit, and the “need to belong” effect were observed over time, highlighting the importance of exercise and socialization for older females.