SynthesisSystematic reviews2023
Functional social support and cognitive function in middle- and older-aged adults: a systematic review of cross-sectional and cohort studies.
Synthesis in Systematic reviews, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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.
The trial behind it
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
25 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- The association between religious participation and memory among middle-aged and older adults: A systematic review.PloS one · 2023Pooled it
- Associations of Social Support, Loneliness, and Physical Activity with Cognitive Function in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Chronic stress, social support, and domain-specific cognitive decline in HABS-HD.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026Article
- The Association Between Social Isolation, Functional Social Support, and Memory: A Mediation Analysis of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.Journal of applied gerontology : the official journal of the Southern Gerontological Society · 2026Article
- Effect of Environment on the Cognition of Older Adults: A Narrative Review.Brain sciences · 2026Review
- The Development of a Model to Predict Cognitive Decline Within 12 Months in Home Care Clients.Journal of clinical nursing · 2026Article
- Vision impairment and cognitive function in Chinese older adults with diabetes: multiple mediating effects of social participation and perceived control.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Trajectories of social health, cognitive, and daily functioning in community-dwelling older adults.Innovation in aging · 2026Article
- Analysis of cognitive function trajectories and influencing factors in elderly patients with ischemic stroke: a prospective longitudinal study.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2026Article
- Immigrant generational status, late-life social support and mental well-being, and cognitive change in the Kaiser Healthy Aging and Life Experiences cohort.BMJ public health · 2026Article
- Association of weight-adjusted waist index with motoric cognitive risk syndrome in Chinese adults Aged ≥ 60 years.Lipids in health and disease · 2025Article
- Psychosocial factors associated with perceived cognitive functioning in prostate cancer survivors: an exploratory cross-sectional analysis.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025Article
- Effect of social support on memory ageing of middle-aged and older cancer survivors: a marginal structural modelling approach.Journal of epidemiology and community health · 2025Article
- The Psychological Resilience of Older Adults Is Key to Their Independence in Instrumental Activities of Daily Living and Social Participation.Brain sciences · 2025Article
- Observational
- Analysis of urban-rural differences in cognitive function among empty nest older adult in China based on Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Study on the needs of the older adults with dementia in care institutions based on a hierarchical interaction model: a case study of an institution in Hangzhou, China.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Latent profiles and correlates factors of cognitive function in older adults: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2025Article
- Social interaction and functional status among community-dwelling older adults in Japan: a longitudinal study during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Exploring the physical, mental, and social dimensions of middle-aged adults for active and healthy aging: A cross-sectional study.PloS one · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIntact cognitive function is crucial for healthy aging. Functional social support is thought to protect against cognitive decline. We conducted a systematic review to investigate the association between functional social support and cognitive function in middle- and older-aged adults.
methodsArticles were obtained from PubMed, PsycINFO, Sociological Abstracts, CINAHL, and Scopus. Eligible articles considered any form of functional social support and cognitive outcome. We narratively synthesized extracted data by following the Synthesis Without Meta-Analysis (SWiM) guidelines and assessed risk of bias using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS).
resultsEighty-five articles with mostly low risk-of-bias were included in the review. In general, functional social support-particularly overall and emotional support-was associated with higher cognitive function in middle- and older-aged adults. However, these associations were not all statistically significant. Substantial heterogeneity existed in the types of exposures and outcomes evaluated in the articles, as well as in the specific tools used to measure exposures and outcomes.
conclusionsOur review highlights the role of functional social support in the preservation of healthy cognition in aging populations. This finding underscores the importance of maintaining substantive social connections in middle and later life. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: Rutter EC, Tyas SL, Maxwell CJ, Law J, O'Connell ME, Konnert CA, Oremus M. Association between functional social support and cognitive function in middle-aged and older adults: a protocol for a systematic review. BMJ Open;10(4):e037301. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-037301.
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Registered trials
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.