Caregiver coping strategies predict cognitive and functional decline in dementia: the Cache County Dementia Progression Study.

Objectives: Few longitudinal studies have studied the influence of the care environment on the clinical progression of dementia. We examined whether caregiver coping strategies predict dementia progression in a population-based sample.

Design: Longitudinal, prospective cohort study.

Stressful life events and cognitive decline in late life: moderation by education and age. The Cache County Study.

Objective: Stressful life events (SLE) have been associated with increased dementia risk, but their association with cognitive decline has been inconsistent. In a longitudinal population-based study of older individuals, we examined the association between SLE and cognitive decline, and the role of potential effect modifiers.

Methods: A total of 2665 non-demented participants of the Cache County Memory Study completed an SLE questionnaire at Wave 2 and were revisited 4 and 7 years later.

Defensive pessimism, self-esteem instability, and goal strivings.

Defensive pessimism (Norem & Cantor, 1986a) is conceived as an adaptive motivational strategy employed in academic contexts. The present research investigates some potentially deleterious correlates of the defensively pessimistic strategy. We examined the hypothesis that defensive pessimists would have a relatively high ratio of negative-to-positive academically relevant self-thoughts, and these accessible thoughts would be related to high self-esteem instability.