Psychological Correlates of Self-Rated Resilience in the Context of Subjective Cognitive Concerns in Older Adults

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate psychological correlates of self-rated resilience, as assessed with the 10-item version of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10), in older adults. In particular, we were interested in the degree to which self-rated resilience might be a protective factor against cognitive decline. METHOD: In total, 100 adults aged 60-90 years who had been referred because of subjective cognitive concerns completed self-report measures of resilience, symptoms of anxiety and depression, and satisfaction with life. They also completed a test of learning and memory. Ratings about daily functioning at home and in the community were obtained from both participants and proxy informants. RESULTS: Resilience ratings correlated strongly negatively with concurrent self-rated symptoms of anxiety and depression, and strongly positively with self-rated life satisfaction. However, only informant ratings of daily functioning correlated with actual participant performance on a test of learning and memory, with lower ratings being associated with worse test performance. CONCLUSIONS: Self-rated resilience, as measured by the CD-RISC-10, is primarily related to subjective well-being and does not inform sufficiently about relative risk for cognitive dysfunction in older adults.