Perrino, T., Mason, C.A., Brown, S.C., Spokane, A., Szapocznik, J. (in press). Longitudinal relationships between cognitive functioning and depressive symptoms among Hispanic older adults. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences.

This study examines the relationship between cognitive functioning and depressive symptoms across 3 years in a prospective study of 273 community-dwelling, Hispanic older adults in Miami. The analyses extend the literature by: testing for a bi-directional or reciprocal relationship between depressive symptoms and cognitive functioning over time; and examining the relationship between these variables among Hispanics, an understudied population at risk of developing depressive symptoms and cognitive impairments. Structural Equation Modeling with a cross-lagged panel design showed that depressive symptoms were unrelated to subsequent cognitive functioning. However, cognitive functioning was related to subsequent depressive symptoms at every time-point, such that poorer cognitive functioning was related to higher depressive symptoms. Findings suggest that cognitive declines may predict depressive symptoms in community-dwelling Hispanic older adults..