ABSTRACT

Evidence suggests different depressive symptoms are related to specific aspects of cognition, especially in older adults. The current study extended this literature by examining depressive symptom severity, symptom clusters, and cognitive functioning in young-to-middle aged adults. A sample of 2,560 men (mean age = 38.12 ± 2.41 years) withvalid Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventories (MMPI) and completed cognitive measures was drawn from a Vietnam veterans study. Bootstrapped regressions examined relationships between cognitive performance, MMPI Depression scores, and Harris-Lingoes depression subscales after covariate adjustments. Follow-up analyses investigated non-elevated and elevated depressive symptom groups. We found inverse relationships between specific subscales (Subjective Depression and Mental Dullness) and attentional control. No significant relationships were evident for total depressive symptoms or for the group analyses. Findings suggest weak associations between depressive symptoms and cognition in young to middle-aged men without clinical depression, which adds to the literature on inconsistent findings in depressive symptom–cognition relationships.

摘要

有证据表明，不同的抑郁症状与认知的特定方面有关，尤其是在老年人中。目前的研究通过检查青年至中年成年人的抑郁症状严重程度、症状群和认知功能来扩展该文献。来自越南退伍军人研究的 2,560 名男性样本（平均年龄 = 38.12 ± 2.41 岁）具有有效的明尼苏达多相人格量表 (MMPI) 和完成的认知测量。自举回归检查了协变量调整后认知表现、MMPI 抑郁评分和 Harris-Lingoes 抑郁分量表之间的关系。后续分析调查了非升高和升高的抑郁症状组。我们发现特定分量表（主观抑郁和精神迟钝）与注意力控制之间存在反比关系。总体抑郁症状或组分析没有明显的关系。研究结果表明，在没有临床抑郁症的中青年男性中，抑郁症状与认知之间的关联较弱，这增加了关于抑郁症状 - 认知关系的不一致发现的文献。