The role of depressive symptoms, episodic memory, and executive functioning on prospective memory: New insights from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging

OBJECTIVES: Over half of self-reported memory mistakes involve prospective memory (PM), forgetting to recall and to perform a future intention. PM performance is important for functioning in daily life and may be influenced by other underlying cognitive abilities or by depressive symptoms. To date, no large-scale studies have delineated the associations between depressive symptoms, episodic memory, and executive functioning on PM in middle-aged and older adults, while controlling for sociodemographic variables. METHODS: Data were drawn from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), a prospective cohort study using a population-based sample. 16,124 adults (age range 45 to 86 years) at baseline and 13,619 adults at follow-up were included. Mixed-effects modelling was used to examine the effect of depressive symptoms and cognitive abilities on event- and time-based PM, while controlling for age, sex, education, wealth, and self-reported social standing. RESULTS: Lower depressive symptoms and higher executive functioning predicted better PM performance. Interestingly, depressive symptoms interacted with both executive functioning and episodic memory to predict PM, over and above the main effects. Episodic memory was positively associated with event-, but not time-based PM. DISCUSSION: Executive functioning, depressive symptoms, and episodic memory predict PM performance. Moreover, higher cognitive functioning is protective against the negative influence of depressive symptoms on event- and time-based PM. Altogether, these findings clarify how both cognitive and emotional factors correlate with the ability to remember to complete practical tasks in daily life.