COVID-19 state anxiety is linked to everyday cognition and slower processing speed in women, but not men

COVID-19-Related Anxiety and Cognition in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Examining Sex as a Moderator. Ashley F. Curtis et al. Psychological Reports, January 31, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1177/00332941211064820

Abstract: Aging populations experience disproportionate risk for cognitive decline, which may be exacerbated by coronavirus (COVID-19) illness, particularly among women. This study tested sex as a moderator of associations between COVID-19 state anxiety and cognition in middle-aged/older adults. Adults aged 50+ (N = 275; 151 men/124 women) completed the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale and Cognitive Failures Questionnaire online from remote locations in July/August 2020. A subset of participants (n = 62) completed an objective cognitive task (Stroop). Multiple regressions determined whether sex moderated associations between COVID-19 anxiety and cognitive outcomes. Sex was a significant moderator, such that for women (not men), greater COVID-19 anxiety was associated with more memory failures and blunders (subjective measures) and worse processing speed (objective measure). COVID-19 state anxiety is linked to everyday cognition and processing speed in women, but not men. Consistency across subjective and objective measures promotes the need for sex-specific understanding of the pandemic’s behavioral and cognitive effects in mid-to-late life.

Keywords: Cognition, coronavirus, anxiety, sex differences, middle-aged adults, older adults