Presentation Type

Poster Presentation - Campus Access Only

Category

Social Sciences/Humanities

Abstract/Artist Statement

Objective: With increasing age, older individuals face a higher likelihood of developing dementia. The rate of cognitive decline resulting from dementia is not equivalent for all, as some patients with dementia are able to function independently longer than others, despite having similar disease burden. The cognitive reserve (CR) theory provides one explanation for the differing rate of decline. CR suggests that there are factors — most notably, educational and occupational attainment — that can protect against the cognitive decline that is a hallmark of dementia. Although the beneficial effects of these notable CR factors are clear, they may not be modifiable. Participation in leisure activities may represent a more modifiable factor. Some research hints at beneficial effects of leisure activities, although specific leisure activities have not been examined. The present study sought to examine handicraft art leisure activities (HALAs). HALAs refer to a shared grouping of handicraft (e.g., knitting, sewing, gardening, woodcraft, etc.) and artistic activities (e.g., painting, drawing, sculpting, etc.). HALAs are often included in studies as one of many cognitive leisure activities, speaking to their stimulating, novel, and creative nature. Studies have concluded that when these activities are used as part of a cognitive training program, participation in these activities showed an improvement in cognitive functioning for patients with moderate dementia. However, only in a handful of studies have HALAs been studied independently. The present study examined the relations between handicraft art leisure activities (HALAs) and multiple cognitive domains. We hypothesized that HALA activities would account for statistically significant variance in perceptual reasoning and working memory using a hierarchical regression.

Participants and Methods: Archival WAIS-IV and demographic data for 50 California retirement community residents was examined. A hierarchical regression was used to analyze if HALA participation accounted for statistically significant variance over and above the established CR factors of education, age, depression, and occupation. To construct this statistical model, we entered the age and depression in the first step of the regression, followed by occupational attainment and educational attainment in the second step, and participation in HALAs in the third step. This procedure allowed us to determine if HALAs accounted for significant variance over and above the other CR factors previously identified in the literature. The dependent variables were the WMI and PRI indices of the WAIS-IV assessment.

Results: Results revealed that HALA participation accounted for statistically significant variance in working memory performance over and above the established CR factors of education, age, depression, and occupation.

Conclusions: It is reasonable from these results to suggest that HALA participation among older adults could contribute to the retention of working memory, supporting the role of HALA participation as a CR factor.

Mentor Name

Stuart Hall

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Mar 4th, 5:00 PM Mar 4th, 6:00 PM

Handicraft Art Leisure Activities and Cognitive Reserve

UC North Ballroom

Objective: With increasing age, older individuals face a higher likelihood of developing dementia. The rate of cognitive decline resulting from dementia is not equivalent for all, as some patients with dementia are able to function independently longer than others, despite having similar disease burden. The cognitive reserve (CR) theory provides one explanation for the differing rate of decline. CR suggests that there are factors — most notably, educational and occupational attainment — that can protect against the cognitive decline that is a hallmark of dementia. Although the beneficial effects of these notable CR factors are clear, they may not be modifiable. Participation in leisure activities may represent a more modifiable factor. Some research hints at beneficial effects of leisure activities, although specific leisure activities have not been examined. The present study sought to examine handicraft art leisure activities (HALAs). HALAs refer to a shared grouping of handicraft (e.g., knitting, sewing, gardening, woodcraft, etc.) and artistic activities (e.g., painting, drawing, sculpting, etc.). HALAs are often included in studies as one of many cognitive leisure activities, speaking to their stimulating, novel, and creative nature. Studies have concluded that when these activities are used as part of a cognitive training program, participation in these activities showed an improvement in cognitive functioning for patients with moderate dementia. However, only in a handful of studies have HALAs been studied independently. The present study examined the relations between handicraft art leisure activities (HALAs) and multiple cognitive domains. We hypothesized that HALA activities would account for statistically significant variance in perceptual reasoning and working memory using a hierarchical regression.

Participants and Methods: Archival WAIS-IV and demographic data for 50 California retirement community residents was examined. A hierarchical regression was used to analyze if HALA participation accounted for statistically significant variance over and above the established CR factors of education, age, depression, and occupation. To construct this statistical model, we entered the age and depression in the first step of the regression, followed by occupational attainment and educational attainment in the second step, and participation in HALAs in the third step. This procedure allowed us to determine if HALAs accounted for significant variance over and above the other CR factors previously identified in the literature. The dependent variables were the WMI and PRI indices of the WAIS-IV assessment.

Results: Results revealed that HALA participation accounted for statistically significant variance in working memory performance over and above the established CR factors of education, age, depression, and occupation.

Conclusions: It is reasonable from these results to suggest that HALA participation among older adults could contribute to the retention of working memory, supporting the role of HALA participation as a CR factor.