|
Association Between Loneliness and Cognitive Performance in Adults Aged 50 and Above in Neyshabur, Iran: A Cross-Sectional Study
|
Faeghe Ghanami *   , Seyed Reza Mirhafez , Zahra Azizabadi |
|
|
|
Abstract: (28 Views) |
Introduction: As individuals age, cognitive changes, including decline in memory and concentration, become increasingly prevalent among middle-aged and older adults. Loneliness and poor sleep quality are significant psychosocial and biological factors that can adversely affect cognitive function. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between loneliness, sleep quality, and cognitive function in individuals aged 50 and older in Nishapur, Iran.
Methods: This study was an applied, descriptive-correlational study. A total of 7,462 participants (3,500 men and 3,962 women) were enrolled in 2019. Assessment tools included the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) for sleep quality, the Gierveld Loneliness Scale for loneliness, and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) for cognitive evaluation. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson correlation coefficient, and multiple linear regression.
Results: The results of the MMSE indicated that 0.1% of participants had severe cognitive impairment, 18.6% had moderate impairment, 50.5% had mild impairment, and 28.3% demonstrated normal cognitive status. The mean total score for the MoCA was 52.07.
Conclusion: The findings revealed significant negative correlations between demographic characteristics, total loneliness scores, sleep quality, and cognitive function. This suggests that higher levels of loneliness and poorer sleep quality are associated with decreased MMSE scores in older adults. Furthermore, regression analysis confirmed negative coefficients for both loneliness and sleep quality in relation to the MMSE, indicating that as loneliness increases and sleep quality declines (higher PSQI scores), cognitive performance, as measured by the MMSE, significantly decreases.
|
|
| Keywords: Loneliness, Sleep Quality, Cognition, Aged |
|
|
|
Type of Study: Original research |
Subject:
Eldely mental and psychological issues
Received: 2026/08/23 | Accepted: 2026/10/2 | Published: 2026/10/2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Send email to the article author |
|
|
|
| Add your comments about this article |
|
|
|
