Depressive symptoms and lower recall linked to disability
Relative risks of later disability were 1.68 with one vulnerability and 2.19 with both, compared with neither.
Limit: Adjusted analyses excluded participants with incomplete data
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
In an observational analysis of six prospective cohorts, researchers studied 257,922 adults aged 45 or older. Their mean age was 62.4 years, and 55.5% were female. Researchers used depressive-symptom and word-recall scores to classify participants as having neither, one or both vulnerabilities.
The adjusted analyses included 179,248 participants for new disability in basic daily activities and 213,268 for mortality. Compared with neither vulnerability, one vulnerability was associated with 48.7 excess disability events per 1,000 standardized intervals between assessments; both were associated with 85.3 excess events. For people with both vulnerabilities and at least three chronic conditions, the estimated disability risk at the next observed assessment was 27.2%. Vulnerability was also associated with mortality.
Why it matters
The study addressed whether depressive symptoms and word recall mark vulnerability to losing everyday independence in middle and older age, alongside chronic disease.
Caveats
This observational analysis cannot establish cause and effect, and the adjusted analyses included only participants with complete data. The findings do not cover adults younger than 45, and mortality associations varied over follow-up.
The paper
Ganzhou People's Hospital
Journal of Affective Disorders, Oct 24, 2026
