Mobility Disability, Cognitive Functioning, and Psychological Wellbeing

Disability is common in older adults, with 1 in 4 individuals over the age of 65 reporting a mobility disability and 1 in 10 reporting a cognitive disability (Okoro et al., 2018). Prior research suggests that mobility disability may increase the risk of cognitive decline, in part due to limited physical activity engagement and greater depressive symptoms (Chodosh et al., 2010; Lampinen & Heikkinen, 2003; Rosenberg et al., 2011; Yuenyongchaiwat et al., 2018). In addition, cognitive decline may increase the risk of mobility disability through similar mechanisms (Atkinson et al., 2010; Hartman et al., 2018). Well-being may be a protective factor that disrupts these bi-directional relationships, thereby reducing risk for comorbid mobility disability and cognitive decline in older adulthood. Specifically, research has shown that well-being may help increase engagement in physical activities and decrease depressive symptoms, two theorized mechanisms for documented associations between mobility disability and cognitive decline (Boyle et al., 2010; Kim et al., 2017; Lewis & Hill, 2021). Given the large number of older adults living with mobility and/or cognitive disability, it is crucial to better understand relationships between these two factors as well as the role of well-being in moderating these associations. This study aims to address this using two existing longitudinal datasets: Rush Memory and Aging Project (MAP; Bennett et al., 2018) and the Minority Aging Research Study (MARS; Barnes et al., 2012).