YOU’VE GOT A FRIEND IN ME: CAN SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT MEDIATE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MOOD AND MCI? AND SOCIAL MEDIA USE AMONG MIDDLE AGED AND BETWEEN SOCIAL SUPPORT AND DISTANCE TO THE PARENTS’ HOUSE IN JAPAN

Social networks can change with age, for reasons that are adaptive or unwanted. A larger social network is beneficial to both mental health and cognition. Consequently this study explored this association and assessed the mediation of the relationship between mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and mood problems by social network size. This study includes an analysis of data from the Cognitive Function and Ageing Study Wales (CFAS Wales). CFAS Wales data were collected by conducting structured interviews with older people aged over 65 years of age living in urban and rural areas of Wales, and included questions that assessed cognitive functioning, mood, and social networks. This study demonstrates that having a larger social network is beneficial to both mood and cognition. Correlation analyses suggest that as social network increases, symptoms of anxiety and depression decrease. Regression analyses reveal that social network size is a significant mediator of the relationship between MCI and mood problems.These findings are important, as mood problems are a risk factor for progression from MCI to dementia, so interventions that increase and strengthen social networks may have beneficial effects on slowing the progression of cognitive decline. Social network size represents a potentially modifiable variable, in that more opportunities to socialise can be explored and implemented. For example, many older people struggle to access transport to attend social situations, which could be acted upon, and additionally, advances in technology could be utilised to provide social opportunities for older people. The growth of social media (SM) use is evident in the middle age and older adults, and its association with mental well-being remains unclear. This study used data from the third wave of the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States to examine SM use and its association with depression to answer whether the presence of past year depressive episode can be predicted from SM contact. This study surveyed 3,294 adults ages 35 and above about their frequency of SM use to contact friends or family and depression. SM use was assessed by self-reported time with eight responses, ranging from 1= “several times a day” to 8= “never or hardly ever. ” Depression was assessed using self-report of past 12 months’ depressive episode. Logistic regressions were performed. The weighted sample was 54.9% female and 89.5% White. Accounting for baseline depression and other important potential confounders, this study did not demonstrate that frequency of social media use to contact friends and family predict depressive episodes, as opposed to other studies done on a young adult cohort. Results were robust to all sensitivity analyses. SM use is not associated with increased depression. Given the proliferation of SM, further studies should look at the possibility of social media use in offering middle age and older adults a medium to con-nect and engage, develop a sense of community and possibly offset the risk of depression and isolation.