Sex Moderates the Relationship of Stress and Perceived Social Support With Neuropsychological Symptoms Among Community-dwelling Persons With Alzheimer Disease in Spain

Abstract

Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) are common in Alzheimer disease (AD) patients, especially in women. Stress and stress-vulnerability factors (eg, poor social support) may trigger NPS. This cross-sectional study (n=196) aimed to examine the moderating effect of sex on the relationships between both perceived social support and salivary cortisol levels and NPS of AD patients. Only in women, greater cortisol levels were associated with higher scores in Neuropsychiatric Inventory mood, agitation, and frontal subscales whereas higher Psychosocial Support Questionnaire scores were related to lower scores in Neuropsychiatric Inventory mood and psychosis subscales. Given the relevance that sex differences might have on the design of preventive strategies, present findings should be confirmed in longitudinal studies.