Innovation in Aging - Vol. 9 - No. S2 441 - ADRD and dementia caregiving studies in Puerto Rico

Q: What factors influence depressive symptoms among dementia caregivers in Puerto Rico?

Caregiver burden was positively associated with depressive symptoms, and BPSD factors (emotional/behavioral instability and perceptual disturbances/apathy) both related to depression and moderated the burden–depression link.

Sep 29, 2026

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Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 presents research on cognitive and mental health in older Puerto Ricans and dementia caregiving. One study links chronic pain to worse subjective memory, higher depressive symptoms, and mediated cognitive decline using longitudinal PREHCO waves. Another study evaluates dementia caregivers, finding caregiver burden and BPSD factors associated with depression and moderating effects. A third study examines social support and mental health-related quality of life among older adults in Puerto Rico.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time5 min

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Study 1: Subjective memory and cognitive decline

Chronic pain and depressive symptoms

Mediating pathways and modeling

Study 2: Depression in dementia caregivers

Caregiver burden and BPSD

Moderation by BPSD factors

Study 3: Social support and quality of life

Mental health-related outcomes

Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 441 ADRD in PR is required. This information is needed to improve the care and supports for people with ADRD and their caregivers (ASPE, 2022) . Abstract citation ID: igaf122.1501 SUBJECTIVE MEMORY: A CLINICAL MARKER FOR COGNITIVE DECLINE AND DEPRESSION IN OLDER PUERTO RICANS WITH CHRONIC PAIN Tyler Bell1, Caitlin Northcutt2, Sadaf Milani3, Nathalie Gider1, and Michael Crowe4, 1. University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California, United States, 2. University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, United States, 3. University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, United States, 4. University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States Chronic pain has been linked to subjective memory problems in older Puerto Rican adults, yet its relationship to objective cognitive decline and depressive symptoms remains unclear. This study examined these associations using data from Waves 1 (2002/2003), 2 (2006/2007), 3 (2020/2021), and 4 (2022/2024) of the Puerto Rican Elderly: Health Conditions Study (PREHCO), a longitudinal, population-based study of Puerto Rican adults aged 60 and older. The sample included individuals who were cognitively unimpaired at baseline with at least one follow-up (n = 2,630, Mage=71.33, SD= 8.25; 59.5% female). Chronic pain was defined as bodily pain reported at both Waves 1 and 2. Subjective memory was assessed using the Health and Retirement Study item,“How would you rate your memory at the present time?”(1 = excellent to 5 = poor). Cognitive function and depressive symptoms were measured using the Mini-Mental Caban and the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale, respectively. Structural equation modeling examined how chronic pain at Wave 2 influenced subjective memory concerns at Wave 3 and cognitive decline at Wave 4, accounting for prior cognitive function. Chronic pain was associated with worse subjective memory problems (β=.31, p<.001) and greater depressive symptoms (β=.31, p<.001) at Wave 3. By Wave 4, chronic pain predicted increases in depressive symptoms (β=-.08, p=.038) . Bootstrap methods confirmed that subjective memory problems mediated the relationship between chronic pain and cognitive decline (β= -.27, p=.035) and depressive symptoms (β=.23, p=.008) . These findings highlight subjective memory as a potential intermediatory step between declines in cognitive and emotional health in aging Puerto Rican adults. Abstract citation ID: igaf122.1502 DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS IN DEMENTIA CAREGIVERS IN PUERTO RICO: THE ROLE OF CAREGIVER BURDEN AND SYMPTOMS OF DEMENTIA Junyub Lim1, Ross Andel2, Frank Puga3, María Aranda4, Maricruz Rivera-Hernandez5, Ana Luisa Davila-Roman6, and Michael Crowe3, 1. Arizona State University, Phoenix, Arizona, United States, 2. Arizona State University, Arizona State University, Arizona, United States, 3. University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States, 4. University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States, 5. Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, Rhode Island, United States, 6. University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico, United States Background/Objectives: Dementia is more prevalent in Puerto Rico than on the U.S. mainland, increasing demands for caregiving. However, research on the mental health impact of dementia caregiving among island Puerto Ricans is sparse. We examined caregiver burden and depressive symptoms among Puerto Rican dementia caregivers and a potential moderating role of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). Methods: Using data from the Puerto Rican Elder: Health Conditions (PREHCO) study (Wave 3), 132 caregivers of PREHCO participants completed an ancillary data collection, of whom 101 were dementia caregivers with complete data. Measures included the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (depressive symptoms), Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q; BPSD), and Zarit Burden Interview

FAQs

What factors influence depressive symptoms among dementia caregivers in Puerto Rico?

Caregiver burden was positively associated with depressive symptoms, and BPSD factors (emotional/behavioral instability and perceptual disturbances/apathy) both related to depression and moderated the burden–depression link.

Sep 29, 2026

Upload by acoobca