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Longitudinal Associations Between Contact Frequency with Friends and with Family, Activity Engagement, and Cognitive Functioning

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 March 2020

Neika Sharifian Open the ORCID record for Neika Sharifian [Opens in a new window] ,
A. Zarina Kraal ,
Afsara B. Zaheed Open the ORCID record for Afsara B. Zaheed [Opens in a new window] ,
Ketlyne Sol  and
Laura B. Zahodne Open the ORCID record for Laura B. Zahodne [Opens in a new window]
Neika Sharifian*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
A. Zarina Kraal
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Afsara B. Zaheed
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Ketlyne Sol
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Laura B. Zahodne
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
*
*Correspondence and reprint requests to: Neika Sharifian, Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI48109, USA. E-mail: nsharifi@umich.edu
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Abstract

Objectives:

Social engagement may be an important protective resource for cognitive aging. Some evidence suggests that time spent with friends may be more beneficial for cognition than time spent with family. Because maintaining friendships has been demonstrated to require more active maintenance and engagement in shared activities, activity engagement may be one underlying pathway that explains the distinct associations between contact frequency with friends versus family and cognition.

Methods:

Using two waves of data from the national survey of Midlife in the United States (n = 3707, Mage = 55.80, 51% female at baseline), we examined longitudinal associations between contact frequency with friends and family, activity engagement (cognitive and physical activities), and cognition (episodic memory and executive functioning) to determine whether activity engagement mediates the relationship between contact frequency and cognition.

Results:

The longitudinal mediation model revealed that more frequent contact with friends, but not family, was associated with greater concurrent engagement in physical and cognitive activities, which were both associated with better episodic memory and executive functioning.

Conclusion:

These findings suggest that time spent with friends may promote both cognitively and physically stimulating activities that could help to preserve not only these social relationships but also cognitive functioning.

Keywords

FriendshipsSocial relationshipsContact frequencyCognitive agingCognitive activityPhysical activity
Type
Regular Research
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 26 , Issue 8 , September 2020 , pp. 815 - 824
Copyright
Copyright © INS. Published by Cambridge University Press, 2020

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