David Camacho leads publication exploring the relationship of loneliness and cognitive function in older adults living in Latin America.
David Camacho and co-authors published “Loneliness and cognitive function in older adults living in Latin America: A systematic review” in Archives of Medical Research. In this systematic review, the authors synthesized quantitative literature exploring the relationship between loneliness and cognitive function in older adults in Latin America. The research team reviewed 1,887 studies and identified seven eligible studies. All studies were cross-sectional and involved a total of 26,440 participants from Brazil or Mexico only. Authors found that a majority, though not all studies noted an inverse association between loneliness and cognitive function after accounting for relevant health and psychosocial variables. Measures and definitions of loneliness and cognitive function, along with the theoretical frameworks connecting these concepts, varied. The authors note that current evidence suggests a possible cross-sectional association between loneliness and cognitive function in older adults in Mexico and Brazil only. They underscore the need for further research that examines the possible bidirectional relationship between loneliness and cognitive functioning using representative samples and longitudinal designs; test pathways linking dimensions of loneliness (e.g., chronicity) to cognitive function (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease continuum), and explores Latin American diversity (e.g., countries, indigenous peoples, sexual minorities).