Depressive Symptoms Mediate Associations between Subjective Memory Complaints, Cognitive Ability, and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living

Objectives: Cognitive ability (CA) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) performance are essential for productive aging. Therefore, it is important to understand if other common issues such as subjective memory complaints (SMCs) and depressive symptoms are related to CA and IADLs, and explore the nature of those relationships. This study aims to explore 1) the associations between SMCs, depressive symptoms, CA, and IADL performance and 2) the role of depressive symptoms in these associations. Method: The study sample included 1,621 community-dwelling oldest-old from the Health and Retirement Study. Results: SMCs were significantly and positively associated with cognitive decline and limitations in IADL performance. Additionally, depressive symptoms mediated the associations between SMCs and cognitive decline and between SMCs and limitations in IADL performance. Conclusion: Depressive symptoms associated with SMCs negatively affect CA and IADL performance. Therefore, healthcare providers should consider and assess SMCs and depressive symptoms in the oldest-old.