Thesis
Biomedical and psychosocial risk factors for cognitive decline in young adults with Down syndrome
Master of Science (M.S.), Drexel University
May 2026
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00011458
Abstract
Dementia, a disease characterized by cognitive decline and memory loss, affects millions of people worldwide. It is the leading cause of death for individuals with Down syndrome (DS), who are genetically predisposed to early-onset dementia. Modifiable risk factors for dementia have been widely studied in the general population, but this literature is greatly lacking in the DS population. Given the early age of onset of dementia in DS, the current study focused on young adults with DS and examined the relationship between biomedical and psychosocial modifiable risk factors, namely education, sleep disorders, cardiovascular health conditions, and vocational engagement (occupational complexity, vocational independence, and hours of paid community work) and the Dementia Screening Questionnaire for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (DSQIID). Family members of 125 adults aged 18-39 with DS completed measures assessing lifestyle and vocational factors as well as the DSQIID. Spearman's rank-order correlations and logistic regressions were completed to evaluate the relationship between the risk factors and DSQIID group membership. Cardiovascular health conditions and sleep difficulties (not diagnosed sleep disorders) were found to be associated with the presence of one of more symptoms of cognitive decline on the DSQIID. Additionally, a non-significant trend was observed in which lower occupational complexity with people and things was associated with the presence of at least one symptom of cognitive decline on the DSQIID. Further longitudinal studies are needed to fully characterize the relationship between risk factors and cognitive decline in DS to develop early treatment targets for dementia.
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Details
- Title
- Biomedical and psychosocial risk factors for cognitive decline in young adults with Down syndrome
- Creators
- Haila Rita Jiddou
- Contributors
- Nancy Raitano Lee (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Master of Science (M.S.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University
- Number of pages
- vii, 75 pages
- Resource Type
- Thesis
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Brain Sciences (Psychology); College of Arts and Sciences; Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 991022193197704721