The online environment offers individuals a means of obtaining information, support, and social connection. Older adults are growing users of the internet1. Online support groups (e.g., Facebook groups) have been found to provide health-related information and encourage mental well-being2. They may be particularly advantageous for caregivers of individuals diagnosed with dementia, as it is difficult to leave loved ones with dementia alone. However, the mechanisms by which online support groups engage caregivers, and the content of support, have yet to be explored. In the current study, content from 100 posts from a private Facebook caregiver support group were evaluated for gender of post author, relationship to the person receiving care, distress, emotional tone, grief reaction, caregiver burden, and coping strategy. Results indicated that caregiver distress was associated with the presence of grief reactions, negative emotional tone, and higher caregiver burden. Utilizing venting as a coping strategy was associated with higher caregiver burden, similar to what is observed in a traditional in-person support group. Online communication for caregivers may provide an indication of caregivers’ psychological well-being, as specific coping strategies and grief reactions indicated higher levels of caregiver burden and distress. Research on interventions for dementia caregivers may benefit from a focus on online social support as a means of accessing caregivers and treatment delivery.

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Identifying factors that contribute to subjective reports of memory decline may have important implications for interpretation of objective memory performance. Research suggests that subjective memory decline is influenced by affective symptoms such as anxiety and stress that are subsequently associated with poorer performance on neurocognitive tests. Personality is an additional factor, as evidence demonstrates that neuroticism may predict subjective memory decline. More research is needed to understand how factors such as demographics, personality traits, and subjective health impact subjective memory. The present study applies a comprehensive, biopsychosocial approach to identify constructs that predict how individuals view subjective memory decline compared to others their age. Researchers used a national database, Midlife in the United States (MIDUS), due to its comprehensive and diverse sample (N = 3,291). Predictor variables pertained to demographics, personality traits, as well as physical and mental health self-reports, and the outcome variable captured subjective memory relative to one’s peers. A three-step hierarchical regression model indicated that demographic variables, personality traits, and self-evaluated health significantly contributed to 26.7% of the variance of self-evaluated memory compared to others their age, F(35, 2836) = 29.48, p < .001, with each block incrementally adding to the significance of the findings. Results suggest that subjective evaluation of physical health, personality traits, and demographic variables uniquely influence subjective memory decline relative to others of the same age. Awareness of how biopsychosocial factors may contribute to affective symptoms may have implications for the interpretation of neuropsychological testing results.

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