The relationship between self-perception of aging and subjective cognitive decline in community-dwelling older adults: The mediating effect of perceived stress

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between self-perception of aging (SPA) and subjective cognitive decline (SCD) in community-dwelling older adults, and to examine the mediating effect of perceived stress. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 304 older adults. Correlation, regression analysis and bootstrap mediation analysis were employed to evaluate the association. RESULTS: SPA was positively related to perceived stress (r = 0.551, P < 0.01) and SCD (r = 0.369, P < 0.01), and there was a significant correlation between perceived stress and SCD (r = 0.345, P < 0.01). The SPA and perceived stress had a significant impact on SCD (β=0.199, P = 0.004; β=0.215, P < 0.001). Bootstrap mediating effect test indicated the perceived stress partially mediated the effect of aging perception on subjective cognitive decline, accounting for 38.89 % of the total effect. CONCLUSION: SPA was positively related to SCD, and perceived stress played a mediating effect in this association. It is crucial to implement regular screening and targeted interventions for SPA among community-dwelling older adults.