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Cognitive functioning, subjective memory complaints and risky behaviour predict minor home injuries in elderly

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Abstract

Introduction

Home accidents are one of the major causes of death, particularly in older people, young children and women.

Aims

The first aim of this study was to explore the role of subjective memory complaints, cognitive functioning and risky behaviour as predictors of home injuries occurred in a year in a sample of healthy Italian older adults. The second aim was to investigate the role of risky behaviour as a mediator in the relationship between subjective and objective cognitive functioning and home injuries.

Methods

One hundred thirty-three community-dwelling older people from southern Italy were administered a battery of tests to evaluate cognitive functioning, subjective memory complaints, and risky behaviour during home activities. Risky behaviour was evaluated using the Domestic Behaviour Questionnaire, created specifically for this purpose. The number of home injuries was recorded for a year throughout monthly telephone interviews. A path analysis was performed to test the following model: cognitive functioning and subjective memory complaints directly influence risky behaviour and number of accidents over a year; risky behaviour mediates the impact of cognitive functioning and subjective memory on number of accidents over a year.

Results

Path analysis confirmed the model tested except the role of risky behaviour as a mediator between cognitive functioning and home accidents.

Discussion

Risky behaviour could represent a further risk factor in cognitively intact older adults with subjective memory complaints.

Conclusions

The assessment of both cognition and behaviour in elderly can make a valuable contribution in preventing home accidents in elderly.

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Acknowledgements

The second author was supported by the project ‘Epidemiology of Topographical Disorientation and Mild Cognitive Impairment in a South Italian elderly population’—Action Co-founded by Cohesion and Development Fund 2007–2013—APQ Research Puglia Region ‘Regional programme supporting smart specialization and social and environmental sustainability—FutureInResearch’ (Grant Code CEY4SQ4); the last author was supported by the project “An automatic system of verbal instructions to promote activities of daily living in patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment: Intervention effectiveness and manipulation of linguistic parameters” (AB, Fondi Ateneo, Es. Fin. 2014).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology, Communication, University of Studies of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Via Crisanzio 42, 70122, Bari, Italy

    Giuseppina Spano, Alessandro O. Caffò & Andrea Bosco

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  1. Giuseppina Spano
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  2. Alessandro O. Caffò
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  3. Andrea Bosco
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Correspondence to Giuseppina Spano.

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On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

Human and animal rights

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. This article does not contain any studies with animals performed by any of the authors.

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Spano, G., O. Caffò, A. & Bosco, A. Cognitive functioning, subjective memory complaints and risky behaviour predict minor home injuries in elderly. Aging Clin Exp Res 30, 985–991 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-017-0858-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-017-0858-9

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