There are many active research projects accessing and applying shared ADNI data. Use the search above to find specific research focuses on the active ADNI investigations. This information is requested annually as a requirement for data access.
| Principal Investigator | |
| Principal Investigator's Name: | Michelle Kim |
| Institution: | Biola University |
| Department: | Clinical Psychology |
| Country: | |
| Proposed Analysis: | Previous literature has shown mixed results regarding the association between the loss of a spouse and memory decline in older adults (Aartsen et al., 2005; Mousavi-Nasab et al., 2012; Smith & Ehlers, 2021; Wörn et al., 2017). More specifically, while Aartsen et al. (2005) found greater decline in memory from those experiencing bereavement from a loss of a spouse, a more recent study by Wörn et al. (2017) found temporary decrease in only the reasoning domain but not in other areas of global cognitive functioning, processing speed, or memory in older women and no significant changes in cognitive functioning in older men following spousal bereavement. In addition, studies on bereavement for older adults have evidenced a relationship between loss of spouse and depressive symptoms (Breckenridge et al., 1986; Gallgher et al., 1983; Sable, 1991). As depression has been shown to be significantly associated with lower memory performance (Burt et al., 1995, Pauls 2015), this study aims to further investigate the link between spousal loss and memory, over and beyond depressive symptoms. The study will be conducted examining the effect of a widowed marital status (as indicated on PTMARRY) on memory (as measured by the memory section of the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale- Cognitive [ADAS-Cog], Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test [RAVLT], and Logical Memory Test II- Delayed Recall [LM II- Delayed Recall]), controlling for gender and depression (measured by the Geriatric Depression Scale [GDS]) using archival data from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). Hierarchical regression analyses will be conducted in SPSS version 26. The findings will investigate the link between loss of a spouse and memory and the additional effects of depression on this relationship. |
| Additional Investigators |
