RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: Past research has shown that self-reported everyday strategy use and task-specific strategy use are related to associative memory performance in aging. Understudied is the relationship between these types of strategy use, whether they predict associative memory performance, and how this may differ across genders. METHOD: A sample of older adults (N = 566, 53% female, ages 60-80) completed this online study. Study measures included 1. Multifactorial Memory Questionnaire (MMQ) Strategy Use subscale, a self-report measure of everyday strategy use, 2. Face-Name Task (FNT), a measure of associative memory, and 3. self-initiated number and types of strategies used on the FNT. Analyses examined the interrelationships among all study measures and their relative contributions to FNT performance while accounting for intraindividual factors. RESULTS: Participants who reported using more strategies on the FNT performed better than those who used fewer or no strategies; those who reported using at least three strategies and relating FNT to past experience performed best. Women outperformed men on the FNT but did not differ in task-specific strategy use. Participants who reported using no strategies on the FNT had lower MMQ Strategy Use scores. A multiple regression analysis indicated that female gender and using at least two task strategies were significant predictors of greater FNT performance. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that task-specific strategy use relates more to associative memory performance than to everyday strategy use, but neither accounts for the female advantage in FNT performance. Findings encourage querying task-specific strategy use to contextualize age-related associative memory decline.
RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: Homeless adults represent a marginalized group with numerous psychiatric and physical illness risk factors for poor functional outcomes. This study investigated bidirectional associations between housing stability and neurocognitive functioning in homeless adults using a longitudinal study design. METHOD: Participants were homeless adults with serious mental illness from the At Home/Chez Soi study Toronto site who participated in a randomized control trial of Housing First. Participants underwent a comprehensive structured baseline interview and clinical evaluation. Up to four brief cognitive evaluations were completed over a period of up to 6 years. Housing status was ascertained every 3 months during the study period. RESULTS: The analysis included 283 participants with at least one follow-up evaluation (Mage = 41 years, 70% men). In an adjusted time-lagged mixed-effects logistic regression model, higher verbal learning and memory performance (OR = 1.71, 95% CI [1.16, 2.52], p = .007), but not cognitive flexibility and processing speed, was associated with an increased likelihood of being stably housed in the subsequent 3 months. In a test of reverse associations, mixed-effects linear models did not reveal associations between housing stability in the preceding 3 months and neurocognitive functioning in either domain. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest verbal learning and memory functioning is a key contributor to housing stability among homeless adults with serious mental illness. This work has important implications for health services that support individuals transitioning into stable housing and for the attainment of long-term functional independence. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).