Stress across the life course and late-life cognitive and physical function

Which modifiable social and lifestyle factors affects the association?

Motivation for the study

With a rapidly ageing population, it is becoming increasingly important to identify factors that may affect functional capacity later in life. Long-term stress is associated with poorer cognitive and physical functioning, but knowledge of how different types of stress during different periods of life affect functioning later in life is limited.

Aim of the project

The main aim of the project is to investigate the relationship between different types of stressors (things that can cause stress) across the life course in relation to physical and cognitive functioning in older ages.

Materials and methods

Using longitudinal population studies, we will study stressors at different stages of life, in different contexts, both during childhood and adulthood. Important stressors during childhood are family conflicts, in adulthood work-related stress, unemployment and marital conflicts. Factors that affect us throughout life include financial strain. This will be analyzed in relation to physical functioning, including tests of lung function, strength, mobility and hand function as well as self-reported mobility and ADL function and cognitive function in different cognitive domains and dementia.

An important part of the project is to study how these associations are affected when taking into account social factors and lifestyle, such as social network, social support, physical activity, smoking and alcohol.

Latest publications

Finkel, D., Nilsen, C., Sindi, S., & Kåreholt, I. (2024). Impact of childhood and adult socioeconomic position on change in functional aging. Health Psychology, 43(5), 388–395. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0001356

Holleman, J., Kåreholt, I., Aspö, M., Hagman, G., Udeh-Momoh, CT., Kivipelto, M., Solomon, A., Sindi, S. (2024) Life-course stress, cognition, and diurnal cortisol in memory clinic patients without dementia. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Vol 119, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.archger.2023.105316

Nilsen, C., Agerholm, J., Kelfve, S., Wastesson, J. W., Kåreholt, I., Nabe-Nielsen, K., & Meinow, B. (2024). History of working conditions and the risk of old-age dependency: a nationwide Swedish register-based study. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 52(6), https://doi.org/10.1177/14034948231188999

Sindi, S., Kiasat, S., Kåreholt, I., & Nilsen, C. (2023). Psychosocial working conditions and cognitive and physical impairment in older age. Archives of gerontology and geriatrics, 104, 104802. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.archger.2022.104802

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