The association between overall social support availability and memory by age and sex: An analysis of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging

Background Accompanying rapidly aging populations is an increase in the prevalence of age‐related memory decline. Modifiable factors such as social support availability (SSA) are important to study because they may affect memory function. However, the impact of SSA on memory may vary by sex or age, and evidence on the topic has not been gathered from large‐scale, population‐based studies of middle‐ and older‐aged adults. This cross‐sectional study explores whether the association between overall SSA and memory differs by sex or age group in 45‐ to 85‐year old persons recruited into the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA). Method The Comprehensive Cohort of the CLSA (n=30,097) is comprised of adults recruited within 25‐50 kilometers of 11 urban centres across Canada. We used multiple linear regression to explore the association between memory (measured using the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test immediate [REY I] and delayed recall [REY II]) and SSA (measured using the 19‐item Medical Outcomes Survey‐Social Support Survey), controlling for sociodemographic, health‐related, and health behaviour covariates. The analyses incorporated the CLSA’s weight and strata variables to account for the complex sampling design. We built separate models by age group (45‐54, 55‐64, 65‐74 and ≥75 years) and sex (males, females) to assess effect modification. Result Results demonstrated positive associations between SSA and memory. For sex, the regression coefficients (β) were larger for males versus females: REY I (β 0.09, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.06‐0.12; β 0.06, 95% CI 0.03‐0.09, for males and females, respectively); REY II (β 0.07, 95% CI 0.03‐0.10; β 0.03, 95% CI 0.00‐0.07, for males and females, respectively). The strongest associations by age were observed in the 65‐74 age group for REY I (β 0.08, 95% CI 0.04‐0.12) and the 45‐54 age group for REY II (β 0.07, 95% CI 0.02‐0.11). Conclusion Results indicate that individuals with higher levels of SSA might have better memory function, with larger effects observed in males versus females, and varying effects observed by age group. This research points to subgroups that may benefit optimally from social support initiatives developed to promote healthy cognitive function.