Social environment profiles and cognitive outcomes: a cross-sectional latent class analysis using the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging

OBJECTIVES: The present study evaluated associations between social environment profiles and cognitive outcomes among generally healthy adults using cross-sectional data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) Comprehensive Cohort (n = 19,793). METHOD: Latent class analysis classified participants into social environment profiles based on social network size, social support, social cohesion, and social isolation. Three profiles emerged, which were labeled as representing weaker, intermediate, and stronger social environments (16.6%, 40.4%, and 42.9% of the sample, respectively). Scores on eight cognitive tests were combined into three domains: executive function, episodic memory, and prospective memory. Analyses of covariance assessed associations between the social environment profiles and executive function and episodic memory, while prospective memory was assessed with logistic regression. RESULTS: Significant associations between the social environment profiles and the three cognitive domains were observed among all statistical models (all p ≤ 0.001). Executive function and episodic memory scores significantly differed between all three profiles, while prospective memory differed between the weaker and stronger profile. The effect sizes of associations were weak, potentially reflecting the generally cognitively healthy sample. CONCLUSION: The social environment is linked with cognitive functioning, but further research is needed to assess the clinical relevance and utility as a target for health promotion.