FAMILY CONNECTEDNESS AND LONELINESS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE REACTIVITY AND EXECUTIVE PERFORMANCE IN OLDER ADULTS

Social isolation and loneliness have been linked to cardiovascular risk, including blood pressure reactivity. This study examined whether family-related social factors are associated with systolic blood pressure reactivity and executive performance in older adults, and whether these associations differ by sex.
A total of 232 adults aged 60–85 years completed a neuropsychological assessment. Family loneliness was assessed using the family subscale of Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults, and family network size using the family subscale of Lubben Social Network Scale. Systolic blood pressure was measured five times; reactivity was defined as the change between the fourth and first measurements during cognitive demand. Models were adjusted for age, sex, education, depressive symptoms, and antihypertensive medication use, with sex-stratified analyses.
Higher family loneliness was associated with lower systolic blood pressure reactivity in men (β = −0.69, p = 0.001), but not in women (β = −0.06, p = 0.48). Conversely, larger family networks were positively associated with systolic blood pressure reactivity in men (β = 0.53, p = 0.003), with no associations in women. Family loneliness and family network size were not collinear. Higher heart rate at the fourth measurement was independently associated with poorer Trail Making Test B performance (β = 0.27, p = 0.028).
These findings indicate sex-specific links between family-related social factors, cardiovascular reactivity, and executive functioning during cognitive stress, highlighting older men as more vulnerable to reduced family connectedness.
Funded by MCIN (PID2021-125945OB-I00; PID2024-160587OB-I00), EU/AEI (RED2022-134191-T; 10.13039/501100011033), Comunidad de Madrid predoctoral contract (59/000982.9/23).