Table 3.
Association between social relationships and risk for incident dementia and stroke
| Independent variable∗ | Dementia† 243/1834 |
Stroke‡ 183/3210 |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hazard ratio (95% CI) | P value | Hazard ratio (95% CI) | P value | |
| Model A§ | ||||
| Social isolation¶ | 1.12 (0.59–2.13) | .73 | 1.24 (0.58–2.64) | .58 |
| Listening | 0.67 (0.49–0.92) | .01 | 0.59 (0.41–0.83) | .003 |
| Advice | 0.87 (0.65–1.15) | .32 | 0.80 (0.57–1.12) | .19 |
| Affection | 0.89 (0.62–1.26) | .50 | 0.79 (0.53–1.19) | .26 |
| Emotional | 0.69 (0.51–0.94) | .02 | 0.73 (0.50–1.06) | .10 |
| Model B# | ||||
| Social isolation | 1.13 (0.60–2.15) | .71 | 1.24 (0.58–2.64) | .58 |
| Listening | 0.68 (0.50–0.92) | .01 | 0.59 (0.41–0.83) | .003 |
| Advice | 0.87 (0.65–1.15) | .33 | 0.80 (0.58–1.12) | .20 |
| Affection | 0.88 (0.62–1.26) | .49 | 0.79 (0.53–1.20) | .27 |
| Emotional | 0.69 (0.51–0.94) | .02 | 0.73 (0.51–1.07) | .11 |
| Model C∗∗ | ||||
| Social isolation | 0.87 (0.45–1.68) | .68 | 1.15 (0.42–3.19) | .79 |
| Listening | 0.72 (0.52–0.99) | .05 | 0.55 (0.35–0.87) | .01 |
| Advice | 0.98 (0.73–1.32) | .88 | 0.80 (0.52–1.24) | .32 |
| Affection | 0.93 (0.65–1.34) | .70 | 0.73 (0.43–1.23) | .23 |
| Emotional | 0.78 (0.56–1.09) | .14 | 0.79 (0.48–1.29) | .35 |
| Model D†† | ||||
| Social isolation | 1.54 (0.37–6.40) | .56 | 1.17 (0.42–3.23) | .77 |
| Listening | 0.59 (0.35–0.99) | .05 | 0.55 (0.35–0.87) | .01 |
| Advice | 1.00 (0.62–1.62) | .99 | 0.80 (0.51–1.24) | .31 |
| Affection | 1.18 (0.62–2.25) | .61 | 0.73 (0.43–1.23) | .24 |
| Emotional | 0.85 (0.48–1.50) | .58 | 0.79 (0.48–1.30) | .35 |
Abbreviation: CI, confidence interval.
Participants aged 45 years and older.
Separate models for social isolation and for each dimension of social support based on frequency provided (i.e., most or all of the time versus some, little, or none of the time): Listening, Can you count on anyone to listen to you when you need to talk?; Advice, Is there someone available to give you good advice about a problem?; Affection, Is there someone available to you who shows you love and affection?; and Emotional, Can you count on anyone to provide you with emotional support?
Participants aged 45 years and older.
Model A was adjusted for age and sex.
Not married, fewer than six friends or relatives, and no membership in either church or community groups.
Model B was additionally adjusted for serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor level.
Model C for dementia was additionally adjusted for apoliproprotein ε4 genotype and educational achievement, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, and current smoking status. Model C for stroke was additionally adjusted for systolic blood pressure, atrial fibrillation, diabetes mellitus, current antihypertensive treatment, and prevalent cardiovascular disease as well as educational achievement, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, and current smoking status.
Model D, for both dementia (106 of 1324 cases) and stroke (114 of 2604 cases), was additionally adjusted for Physical Activity Index, which was available only for the Offspring cohort.