Date of Submission

Spring 2023

Academic Program

Psychology

Project Advisor 1

Justin Hulbert

Abstract/Artist's Statement

Dementia is a term used to describe brain diseases that affect an individual's cognitive functioning (memory, language, problem solving, judgment, etc.). Specifically, dementia can cause losses in cognitive and emotional abilities that affect daily functioning as well as someone’s quality of life. Not only is treatment for dementia and cognitive related diseases paramount, but discovering the cause and external factors that can affect the development or severity of these diseases is equally as important. This, in turn, can help to determine what factors of life can cause a worse prognosis for someone with dementia. This proposal aims to explore how socioeconomic factors, more specifically occupation level, can affect the severity of dementia and how impactful it is on cognitive decline. Although there is research on how socioeconomic factors, including education level, location of childhood, and median household income, can influence the development of dementia, it is crucial to understand how these factors can create a negative or positive impact on an individual’s experience with dementia. Predicted results from this two-year longitudinal study revealed a correlation between cognitive decline and lower socioeconomic status. Specifically, the data showed that individuals with higher socioeconomic status exhibited a slower decline in cognitive functioning despite having dementia.

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Open Access

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