SynthesisJournal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry2018
Marriage and risk of dementia: systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.
Synthesis in Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 138 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
138 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 245 citations in OpenAlex.
- Selected social and lifestyle correlates of brain health markers: the Cross-Cohort Collaboration Consortium.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2025Pooled it
- Effect of diabetes medications on the risk of developing dementia, mild cognitive impairment, or cognitive decline: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD · 2025Pooled it
- Examining the association between functional social support, marital status, and memory: a systematic review.BMC geriatrics · 2023Pooled it
- Adult Vaccination as a Protective Factor for Dementia: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review of Population-Based Observational Studies.Frontiers in immunology · 2022Pooled it
- The Impact of COVID-19 Confinement on Cognition and Mental Health and Technology Use Among Socially Vulnerable Older People: Retrospective Cohort Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Trial
- "Kinlessness", friend and family support, and cognitive function by region and urbanicity in the United States.Health & place · 2026Article
- The Relationship Between Polygenic Risk of Depression and Regional Brain Atrophy in Older Adults.International journal of geriatric psychiatry · 2026Article
- Gender Differences in the Association Between Marriage and Cognitive Decline: Evidence From the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS).PsyCh journal · 2026Article
- The association between lifetime marital histories and later-life cognitive function: evidence from the United States and China.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2026Article
- Accelerated brain aging in prolonged grief disorder of later life: Influence of comorbid depression.Journal of affective disorders · 2026Article
- Feasibility of identifying factors related to Alzheimer's disease and related dementia in real-world data.JAMIA open · 2026Review
- Migraine and the Risk of Dementia in the General Population.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026Article
- Family structure, "Kinlessness", and cognitive decline: Social connectedness and contextual variation in Europe.Social science & medicine (1982) · 2026Article
- Social determinants of health, behavioral factors, and incident dementia: a prospective cohort study.Alzheimer's research & therapy · 2026Article
- Twenty-year trends in cognitive performance and modifiable dementia risk factors: a Swiss population-based study.European journal of public health · 2026Article
- Relationship status and the neurobehavioral symptoms of multiple sclerosis: a cross-sectional analysis.Journal of neurology · 2026Article
- Multidomain Predictors of Four-Year Risk for Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment Among Community-Dwelling Korean Older Adults.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Cognitive Functioning in Rural Older Adults: The Mediating Role of Perceived Social Support.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Lost before forgetting: objective driving metrics track navigation deficits tied to preclinical Alzheimer's disease.Innovation in aging · 2026Article
- Article
78 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundBeing married is associated with healthier lifestyle behaviours and lower mortality and may reduce risk for dementia due to life-course factors. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies of the association between marital status and the risk of developing dementia.
methodsWe searched medical databases and contacted experts in the field for relevant studies reporting the relationship, adjusted for age and sex, between marital status and dementia. We rated methodological quality and conducted random-effects meta-analyses to summarise relative risks of being widowed, divorced or lifelong single, compared with being married. Secondary stratified analyses with meta-regression examined the impact of clinical and social context and study methodology on findings.
resultsWe included 15 studies with 812 047 participants. Compared with those who are married, lifelong single (relative risk=1.42 (95% CI 1.07 to 1.90)) and widowed (1.20 (1.02 to 1.41)) people have elevated risk of dementia. We did not find an association in divorced people.Further analyses showed that less education partially confounds the risk in widowhood and worse physical health the elevated risk in lifelong single people. Compared with studies that used clinical registers for ascertaining dementia diagnoses, those which clinically examined all participants found higher risk for being unmarried.
conclusionsBeing married is associated with reduced risk of dementia than widowed and lifelong single people, who are also underdiagnosed in routine clinical practice. Dementia prevention in unmarried people should focus on education and physical health and should consider the possible effect of social engagement as a modifiable risk factor.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.