Psychological distress and vulnerability: Contrasting associations with cognitive performances based on sex and cardiovascular health

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted individuals diversely, leading to psychological distress, loneliness and subjective cognitive complaints. People with chronic medical conditions such as cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and those with psychological vulnerabilities were at greater risk of experiencing severe psychological consequences. Women have also reported higher levels of vulnerability and anxiety symptoms compared to men, although this difference appears to lessen with age. This combination of medical conditions, symptoms, and psychological vulnerabilities may influence cognitive aging. Using the COVID-19 pandemic as a universal stressor, this study examines how this combination relates to cognitive health in men and women aged 50 years and over. A total of 122 individuals with stable CVD (87 men, 71.3 %) and 127 healthy individuals (30 men, 23,6 %) completed neuropsychological assessments and questionnaires assessing psychological distress (stress, depression, anxiety symptoms) and psychological vulnerabilities (anxiety sensitivity, rumination, intolerance of uncertainty, and anxious traits). Among healthy participants, men with higher psychological vulnerabilities showed lower global cognitive performance (B = -2.097, p = .002) compared to their female counterparts (B = 0.022, p = .946). Lower psychological distress was associated with better executive functioning performance in individuals with CVD (B = -0.218, p = .019). These findings show evidence that among individuals over 50, psychological distress and vulnerabilities can be associated with lower cognitive performances in executive functioning and global cognitive performance respectively. However, these associations differ according to medical conditions and sex where higher psychological vulnerability among healthy men may act as a risk factor for lower global cognitive health.