Daily associations between stress occurrence and memory lapses across middle and late adulthood

Abstract

Advanced age has been associated with benefits in stress reactivity. However, previous research has not investigated this advantage for daily memory functioning, which is crucial for the quality of life in adulthood. Considering the possible detrimental effects of stressors on daily memory functioning, this study investigated the relationship between stressor occurrence and memory lapses in middle and late adulthood and whether positive affect acts as a stress buffer. The sample consisted of 1,071 community-dwelling adults aged 43-90 years (M = 62.71, SD = 10.13) from the National Study of Daily Experiences. Participants completed eight consecutive daily telephone interviews assessing stressor occurrence, memory lapses (retrospective and prospective), and positive affect. Mixed-effects logistic regression models were used to analyze the multilevel data (days nested within people). The findings showed that participants were more likely to report memory lapses on days with a stressor compared to days without a stressor. Positive affect did not buffer this relationship, regardless of the arousal level, although higher overall positive affect was associated with fewer memory lapses. Age did not moderate this relationship. Exploratory analyses suggested that the present effects were mostly driven by retrospective rather than prospective memory lapses. These findings highlight the impact of daily stressors on cognitive functioning and underscore the need to explore modifiable factors to protect against stress-related daily memory lapses throughout adulthood.