Early life predictors of subjective cognitive function in older age: Emerging longitudinal associations over six decades

OBJECTIVES: Self-rated memory impairment is common in older age and has been related to objective cognitive decline and dementia. Recently, there has been growing interest in early-life predictors of late-life cognition, but research has been limited due to the absence of data spanning the entire lifespan. The present study investigated whether psychological health, social well-being, socioeconomic status (SES), and cognitive abilities at age 10 and 13 predicted subjective memory almost six decades later. METHODS: Psychological health, social well-being, SES, and cognitive abilities were measured with standardized tests and questionnaires at age 10 and 13. Subjective memory, anxiety, and depressive symptoms were measured with the Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) at age 67 (n = 625). RESULTS: In a longitudinal autoregressive structural equation model (SEM), higher levels of psychological health at age 13 predicted lower levels of subjective memory at age 67. This association was independent of current anxiety and depressive symptoms. The model did not provide sufficient support that social well-being, SES, cognitive ability, and school performance at age 13 predicted subjective memory at age 67. Additional analysis revealed that psychological health at age 13, but not at age 10, and anxiety symptoms at age 67 uniquely predicted subjective memory at age 67. DISCUSSION: These findings extend prior research by showing that psychological health is a robust predictor of subjective memory. Interventions targeting early-life psychological health may help identify individuals with different prospective cognitive outcomes in later life.