Effects of Cognition, Daily-living Stress, and Health-promotion Behavior on Subjective Memory Complaints by Community-dwelling Elders

Purpose: This study aimed to examine factors influencing subjective memory complaints (SMC) among elders living in local communities. Methods: From February to May, 2016, 126 elders from three cities completed a structured questionnaire composed of SMC, cognition, daily-living stress (DS), and health-promotion behavior (HB). Data were analyzed using the SPSS 25.0 program for descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and multiple regression. Results: The average age of participants was 73.7±6.71 years, and SMC was 5.82±2.87. SMC was significantly different according to education (F=8.33, p<.001), presence of a spouse (t=4.99, p<.001); economic status (F=10.10, p<.001); type of living arrangements (F=7.88, p=.001); family relationships (F=9.43, p<.001); perceived health status (F=17.62, p<.001). There was a significant negative correlation between SMC and cognition (r=-.39, p<.001); DS and HB (r=-.52, p<.001). Cognition and DS were positively correlated (r=.47, p<.001). Presence of a spouse, economic status, cognition, and DS were significantly associated with and accounted for 30.8% of the variance in SMC. Conclusion: Cognition and stress are important factors related to SMC and should be considered along with the presence of a spouse and economic status. Efforts to improve cognitive, psychological and physical health will help prevent memory impairment and further improve the quality of life for elders.