Socio-demographic variables among a group of patients with cognitive decline

Objective: The present study aims to explore the relationship between sociodemographic characteristics and cognitive decline. Method: The sample included 124 participants (58.87% females), aged 62 to 91 years (M = 75.28, SD = 8.07), who were divided into two groups based on cutoff scores from the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination-III (ACE-III): 41 individuals were classified as cognitively healthy, and 83 were identified as suffering from cognitive decline. A series of standard multiple regression analyses were performed to predict cognitive performance based on gender, age, education level, work, domicile, and marital status. Results: The results showed that socio-demographic variables (i.e., age, education level, living in urban areas, and less cognitively demanding professions) were associated with cognitive domains (attention, memory, language, fluency and visuo-spatial ability). Conclusion: Sociodemographic variables have been demonstrated to be associated with cognitive performance. Our findings may prove useful in improving the diagnostic profile of individuals with cognitive decline. Using sociodemographic characteristics to identify individuals at risk might support the development of targeted interventions, improving quality of life and reducing associated straining factors.