Singham, Timothy Rushil;
(2021)
Assessing Modifiable Risk Factors for Cognitive Decline: Widowhood and Subtypes of Affective Symptoms.
Doctoral thesis (D.Clin.Psy), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
This doctoral thesis assesses the role of widowhood and subtypes of affective symptoms as possible risk factors for cognitive decline. Part 1 is a systematic review and meta-analysis on the effect of widowhood on cognition. The review explores the effect of widowhood (vs. being married) on cognition, not only cross-sectionally but also longitudinally, assessing whether widowhood is associated with steeper declines in cognition over time. Furthermore, the review tentatively explores whether length since spousal loss moderates the relationship between widowhood and cognition. Findings from this review may inform bereavement support programmes. Further clinical implications and suggestions for future research are also discussed. Part 2 is an empirical study that utilises data from the PROTECT study. A Latent Class Analysis (LCA) was conducted to identify subtypes of co-occurring affective symptoms on the PHQ-9 and GAD-7. Multiple linear regressions were conducted to assess for associations between class membership and cognitive decline over a 2-year period, while adjusting for known risk factors for cognitive decline. Findings from this review help to clarify the nature of the relationship between affective symptoms of depression and anxiety, and cognitive decline, and may help to identify specific subgroups of adults over the age of 50 who may be at particular risk of cognitive decline, based on their patterns of co-occurring affective symptoms. Part 3 is a critical appraisal of the process that was undertaken for the literature review and the empirical paper. Reflections include the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the challenges associated with conducting a secondary data analysis.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | D.Clin.Psy |
| Title: | Assessing Modifiable Risk Factors for Cognitive Decline: Widowhood and Subtypes of Affective Symptoms |
| Event: | UCL |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2021. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences > Clinical, Edu and Hlth Psychology |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10134611 |
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