Contributions of Personality and Depressive Symptoms on Subjective and Objective Memory

Wonjeong Haavisto, Julie Blaskewicz Boron

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

7 Scopus citations

Abstract

This study aimed to examine whether individual differences in personality and multifaceted depression explain discrepancies between subjective memory (SM) and objective memory (OM), and whether these relationships varied as a function of gender. Structural equation modeling was used to test these relationships in a group of older adults (65–98 years, N = 606) from the 2000 Wave Panel 3 of the Long Beach Longitudinal Study. Women outperformed men on OM, reporting less frequent memory failures. Dysphoria and openness predicted OM, yet not SM. Cognitive concerns, neuroticism, and conscientiousness predicted SM but not OM. The personality and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) factors relevant for SM differed from those for OM, with the GDS factors showing a stronger impact. Overall, discrepancies between SM and OM may be partially explained by the varying impact of the GDS and personality factors, as both provide differential utility in understanding SM and OM differences in older adulthood.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)6-27
Number of pages22
JournalInternational Journal of Aging and Human Development
Volume90
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 2020

Keywords

  • aging
  • depressive symptoms
  • objective memory
  • personality
  • subjective memory

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Aging
  • Developmental and Educational Psychology
  • Geriatrics and Gerontology

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