Important links
Abstract
Cognitive decline is a global health concern, making the identification of early, modifiable risk factors essential. While apathy is a recognized prodromal marker, procrastination may also signal early executive dysfunction. We used longitudinal secondary data from the United States Health and Retirement Study among adults aged 60+ \((n = 549; \bar{x} = 69.70;\sigma = 7.58)\). Cognitive function, procrastination, depression, and a proxy measure of apathy were assessed. Transitions between normative cognitive function, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and dementia were modeled using a discrete-time first-order Markov model. Procrastination scores were higher among individuals with MCI or dementia than those with normative cognitive function. Procrastination also interacted with age, disproportionately increasing the risk of decline in the oldest participants. Procrastination was associated with cognitive impairment and predicted transitions to MCI, suggesting it may serve as both an early behavioral marker and compounding risk factor.
Important figures
Figure 1
Group differences in 2020 procrastination scores according to cognitive status.
Figure 2
Odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) of transitioning from one cognitive state to another calculated using generalized logit models. Note: Odds ratios significantly different from 1 at a 5% significance rate are presented in blue (positive) or orange (negative), otherwise they are presented in gray.
Figure 3
Predicted transition probabilities by procrastination and age. Note. Each curve represents a different age profile, ranging from the minimum (62 years) to the maximum (97 years) of the dataset. Specific ages of interest (70, 80, and 90) are highlighted.
Citation
@article{monaghan2026,
title = {Procrastination as a Marker of Cognitive Decline: {{Evidence}} from Longitudinal Transitions in the Older Adult Population},
author = {Monaghan, Cormac and De Andrade Moral, Rafael and Kelly, Michelle and McHugh Power, Joanna},
date = {2026-01},
journaltitle = {Alzheimer's \& Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment \& Disease Monitoring},
shortjournal = {Alz \& Dem Diag Ass \& Dis Mo},
volume = {18},
number = {1},
pages = {e70245},
doi = {10.1002/dad2.70245}
}