Prevalence and Incidence of Memory Complaints in Employed Compared to Non-Employed Aged 55–64 Years and the Role of Employment Characteristics

Abstract

ObjectivesTo examine the association of employment status and characteristics with prevalent and incident memory complaints (MC) in 55–64-year-olds.MethodsSubjects were participants of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA). Respondents with baseline data were selected to examine the association of employment status (n = 1525) and employment characteristics (n = 1071) with prevalent MC (i.e., MC at baseline). Respondents without MC at baseline were selected to examine the association of employment (n = 526) and employment characteristics (n = 379; working hours, job prestige, job level, psychological job demands, iso-strain) with incident MC (i.e., no MC at baseline and MC at three-year follow-up). Associations were adjusted for relevant covariates (demographics, memory performance, physical health, mental health, personality traits). Logistic regression was applied. Data were weighed according to gender and age of the Dutch population.ResultsAt baseline 20.5% reported MC. At three-year follow-up, 15.4% had incident MC. No associations were found between employment status and MC. Adjusted analysis revealed that individuals with high occupational cognitive demands were more likely to have prevalent MC.ConclusionsMiddle-aged workers are equally as likely to experience MC as non-working age-peers. Among workers, those with cognitively demanding work were more likely to experience MC, independent of memory performance. Memory decline due to ageing may be noticed sooner in 55–64-year-olds performing cognitively demanding work.

Considerations on accuracy, pattern and possible underlying factors of brain microbleed progression in older adults with absence or mild presence of vascular pathology

“…Candidate variables were selected a priori based on clinical plausibility and/or previous research ( Table 1 ). 14 – 39 Data exploration suggested three ANCOVA analyses for bio-specimens (ANCOVA 1), brain measurements (ANCOVA 2) and cognition (ANCOVA 3) should be performed at each time-point. Prior to conducting ANCOVAs, collinearity was assessed through Belsley collinearity diagnostics 41 and any covariates found to have statistically significant associations with other covariates included in each ANCOVA were excluded.…”

Risk Factors and Neuropsychological Assessments of Subjective Cognitive Decline (plus) in Chinese Memory Clinic

“…Less physical activity, hypertension, smoking and depression were found to be associated with the increase occurrence of SCD (Paradise et al, 2011; Chen et al, 2014). Also, among workers, those with cognitively demanding work were more sensitive to the changes of cognitive decline, and were thus more likely to report SCD (Rijs et al, 2015). Moreover, Aarts et al (2011) demonstrated that SCD was related with multiple comorbidities (e.g., diabetes mellitus, stroke/transient ischemic attack, myocardial infarction, etc.).…”

Emerging Issues in Occupational Disease: Mental Health in the Aging Working Population and Cognitive Impairment—A Narrative Review

“…Another longitudinal study performed by Rijs and colleagues in a population of employees aged 55-64, considering nonemployees as the control group, found that middle-aged workers are equally likely to experience memory complaints as nonworking age-peers, but on the other hand, among workers, those with cognitively demanding work were more likely to have memory complaints [30]. Jonsdottir and colleagues presented a case-control follow-up, testing the differences in the cognitive assessment of patients with stress-related exhaustion several years after they initially sought medical care [31].…”