ArticlesInfluence of social network on occurrence of dementia: a community-based longitudinal study
Section snippets
Background
Few data are available on the effect of social ties on dementia development. This study explored whether single social network components and different degrees of the social connections affect dementia incidence.
Methods
A community-based cohort of 1203 non-demented people, living at home in the Kungsholmen district of Stockholm, Sweden, and who had good cognition, was followed for an average period of 3 years. On the basis of medical and psychological data, 176 patients were diagnosed with dementia
Study population
The study population comprised people who were not demented, who lived at home, and who had good cognition (Mini Mental Status Examination [MMSE]>23).19 These individuals were derived from the Kungsholmen Project, a longitudinal population-based study on ageing and dementia initiated in 1987 in Stockholm, Sweden.20 All inhabitants of a central area in the city (Kungsholmen district), aged 75 or over in October, 1987, were asked to participate (n=2368). 1810 individuals were examined in the
Results
The study population consisted of 1368 non-demented individuals who were living at home and who had good cognition at baseline. 165 people refused follow-up examination or were lost at follow-up, leading to a dropout rate of 12%. In comparison with the participants, the dropouts were younger (odds ratio 0·96, p=0·017), with similar sex distribution (1·22, p=0·32), education (0·8, p=0·25), and social-network components (marital status and living arrangement: 1·1, p=0·35; having children: 1·2,
Discussion
Using a community-based cohort of non-institutionalised individuals with good cognition, we investigated the association between the incidence of dementia and different social network components, in which only close relationships were included. Three main results emerged from our analyses.
Individuals living alone and who had no friends or relatives had an increased risk of developing dementia. When the effect of important covariates was taken into account, the relative risk was still high,
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