Social relationships and its effects on cognitive decline and MCI: a review

• Main Authors: Goh, Sarah Si Ern, Poh, Nichelle Siting
• Other Authors: Tan Chin Hong
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2024
• Subjects: Social Sciences; Social relationships; Social support; Social network; Cognitive decline; Cognitive functioning; MCI; Loneliness
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/177106
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Changes in cognitive functioning are inevitable in ageing and can differ in degree among individuals. Research has found that there are several variables that may serve as protective factors against cognitive decline and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), however, there are mixed results regarding the association between social relationships and cognitive decline. With this in mind, this paper looked into the research question of how social relationships can have a positive impact on cognitive decline, in hopes to better understand underlying mechanisms for future research and practical implications. We operationalised social relationships as social support, social networks and social activity. We hypothesised that loneliness negatively impacts cognitive decline, and social relationships positively influences cognitive functioning and MCI, both of which were supported by research. Our review also identified and discussed various challenges in the operationalisation and measurement of social relationships, along with other issues that may influence this relationship. We sought to address these challenges by proposing directions for future research, along with practical implications that could be taken into consideration in the real-world context.