Vital Exhaustion and Dementia
What is it about?
Vital exhaustion is a mental state of psychological distress in which individuals experience somatic and psychological symptoms when being incapable of adapting to prolonged stressors. We found that vital exhaustion in late midlife was associated with a higher incidence of dementia in later life. We performed several additional analyses to test the association with other methodological choices and the association remained consistent. Thus, we found evidence that vital exhaustion is a risk factor for dementia.
Why is it important?
Our findings show that vital exhaustion is a risk factor for dementia. This is important for dementia research and prevention in terms of identifying modifiable risk factors and preventing or delaying the onset of dementia in later life.