Skip to main content
PMC home page
American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias logoLink to American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias
. 2004 Nov-Dec;19(6):353–360. doi: 10.1177/153331750401900610

Relationship between subjective memory complaints, objective memory performance, and depression among older adults

Taher Zandi 1
PMCID: PMC10833836  PMID: 15633944

Abstract

A growing number of studies have investigated the relationship between the elderly subjective memory complaint and their actual memory performance. If memory complaints can be used as indicators of actual memory deficits, these complaints could be an invaluable test for early detection and management of dementia disorders. This study examined the relationships between the elderly subjective memory complaint and their objective memory performance while taking into account several factors such as health and depression. The individuals with subjective memory deficits scored higher on the depression scale in comparison to the individuals without subjective memory problems. However, the alert elderly subjective complaints should be taken seriously while evaluating for dementia.

Keywords: elderly, subjective memory, objective memory, depression

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (98.7 KB).

References

  1. Collins MW, Abeles N: Subjective memory complaints and depression in the able elderly. Clin Gerontol. 1996; 16: 29-55. [Google Scholar]
  2. Livingstone G, Hawkins A, Graham N: The Gospel Oak Study: Prevalence rates of dementia, depression, and activity limitation among elderly residents in inner London. Psychol Med. 1990; 20, 137-146. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Jonker C, Launer LJ, Hooijer C, et al.: Memory complaints and memory impairment in older individuals. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1996; 44: 44-49. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Dobbs AR, Rule BG: Prospective memory and self reports of memory abilities in older adults. Can J Psychol. 1987; 41: 209-222. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Zarit SH, Gallagher D, Kramer N: Memory training in the community aged: Effect on depression, memory complaint, and memory performance. Educ Gerontol. 1981; 6: 11-27. [Google Scholar]
  6. Cushman JL, Abeles N: Memory complaints in the able elderly. Clin Gerontol. 1998; 19(2): 3-25. [Google Scholar]
  7. Hanninen T, Reinikainen KJ, Helkala EL, et al.: Subjective memory complaints and personality traits in normal elderly subjects. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1994; 42: 1-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Kopelman MD, Stanhope N, Guinan E: Subjective memory evaluations in patients with focal frontal, diencephalic, and temporal lobe lesion. Cortex. 1998; 34: 191-207. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Davis AM, Cockburn JM, Wade DT, et al.: A subjective memory assessment questionnaire for use with elderly people after stroke. Clin Rehabil. 1995; 9: 238-244. [Google Scholar]
  10. O'Brien JT, Beats B, Hill K, et al.: Do subjective memory complaints precede dementia? A three-year follow-up of patients with supposed ‘benign senescent forgetfulness.’ Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 1992; 7: 481-486. [Google Scholar]
  11. Blazer DG, Hays JC, Fillenbaum GG, et al.: Memory complaint as a predictor of cognitive decline. J Aging Health. 1997; 9: 171-184. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Lincoln NB, Tinson DJ: The relation between subjective and objective memory impairment after stroke. Br J Clin Psychol. 1989; 28: 61-65. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Roth M, Tym E, Mountjoy C, et al.: CAMDEX: A standardized instrument for diagnosis of mental disorder in the elderly with special reference to the early detection of dementia. Br J Clin Psychol. 1986; 149: 698-709. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Hendrie HC, Hall KS, Brittain HM, et al.: The CAMDEX: A standardized instrument for the diagnosis of mental disorder in the elderly: A replication with a US sample. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1988; 36: 402-408. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. O'Connor DW, Pollitt PA, Hyde JB, et al.: The prevalence of dementia as measured by the Cambridge Mental Disorders of the Elderly Examination. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 1989; 79: 190-198. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. O'Connor DW: The contribution of CAMDEX to the diagnosis of mild dementia in community surveys. Psychiatr J Univ Ott. 1990; 15: 216-220. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Logie SA, Murphy JB, Brooks DN, et al.: The diagnosis of depression in patients with dementia: Use of the Cambridge Mental Disorders of the Elderly Examination (CAMDEX). Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 1992; 7: 363-368. [Google Scholar]
  18. Gatten SL: Clinical differentiation of mental disorders in the elderly: Validation of the CAMDEX. Diss Abstr Int. 1993; 54-54. [Google Scholar]
  19. Neri M, Roth M, De Vreese LP, et al.: The validity of informant reports in assessing the severity of dementia: Evidence from the CAMDEX interview. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 1998; 9: 56-62. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Neri M, Roth M, Mountjoy CQ, et al.: Validation of the full and short forms of the CAMDEX interview for diagnosing dementia. Dementia. 1994; 5: 257-265. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Boston PF, Dennis MS, Jagger C: Factors associated with vascular dementia in an elderly community population. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 1999; 14(9): 761-766. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Folstein MF, Folstein S, McHugh P: Mini Mental State: A practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician of psychiatry research. J Psychiatr Res. 1975; 5(12): 189-198. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias are provided here courtesy of SAGE Publications

RESOURCES