Association between psychosocial and functional factors and language and verbal fluency performance in older adults

ABSTRACT Purpose: to identify psychosocial and functional factors associated with language and verbal fluency performance in older adults. Methods: a study conducted with 149 older adults registered in a primary health care service in a city in inland São Paulo. Instruments such as a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Addenbrooke Cognitive Examination-Revised (verbal fluency and language domains), Geriatric Depression Scale, Perceived Stress Scale, Medical Outcomes Study, WHOQOL-OLD, and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale, were used. Participants were divided into tertiles, according to their language and verbal fluency performance: T1 = best performance, T2 = median performance, and T3 = worst performance. Groups T1 and T3 were compared, and a binary regression was conducted to analyze the factors associated with the best language and verbal fluency performance. Results: higher educational attainment, higher income, and better functioning were the factors associated with the best language performance comparing T1 and T3, while higher educational attainment and better functioning were associated with the best verbal fluency. Conclusion: educational attainment and functioning proved to be important factors associated with good language and verbal fluency performance, while income was associated only with good language performance.