Cognitive impairment and domain-specific life satisfaction among older adults: findings from the Korean National Longitudinal Study on Aging

Abstract Background Little is known regarding the relationship between cognitive impairment and domain-specific life satisfaction. This study examined the association between cognitive impairment and satisfaction with several domains of life in older Koreans. Methods This study used data from the Korean National Longitudinal Study on Aging from 2014 to 2020. Cognitive function was measured with the Mini-Mental State Examination. Four different models are used to assess the effect of cognitive impairment on life satisfaction. The dependent variable in each model was overall life satisfaction, satisfaction with health status, economic status, and marital relationship, respectively. Generalized estimating equation modelling approach was used to take advantage of panel data. Results In the weighted sample, 54.1% of the participants were female. The mean (± SE) age of all participants was 68.9 (± 0.1) years old. A total of 1,671 participants (24.8%) had cognitive impairment. After controlling for other variables, individuals without cognitive impairment were more satisfied with overall life (B = 2.85, p < 0.001), health status (B = 4.79, p < 0.001), economic status (B = 3.31, p < 0.001), and marital relationship (B = 3.63, p < 0.001) than impaired individuals. Conclusion Cognitive impairment in old age is significantly associated with overall life satisfaction as well as satisfaction with several domains, such as health status, income status, and marital relationship. The impact of cognitive function is greater for domain-specific satisfaction than for overall life satisfaction.