Association of family and friend relationship satisfaction with incident dementia: A prospective cohort study of 104,093 participants.

INTRODUCTION

Family relationships and friendships are important for cognitive health, yet how their quality relates to dementia risk remains poorly understood.

METHODS

This prospective cohort study included 104,093 UK Biobank participants aged 40 to 69 years who were dementia free within the first 4 years. Relationship satisfaction was categorized as satisfied or dissatisfied. Cox regression models assessed associations.

RESULTS

Over 13.56 years, 1359 developed dementia. In the fully adjusted model, dissatisfied (vs. satisfied) family relationships were associated with elevated dementia risk (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.334, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.069-1.663), driven primarily by very dissatisfied participants (HR: 1.663). Friendship dissatisfaction showed no significant association with dementia risk (HR: 1.060, 95% CI: 0.752-1.494). Overall relationship dissatisfaction was associated with increased dementia risk (HR 1.265, 95% CI 1.035-1.546), though becoming non-significant after adjustment for additional psychological factors.

DISCUSSION: Family relationship quality may represent a risk factor of dementia warranting consideration in prevention strategies.