Subjective cognitive impairment and its relationship to sleep impairment, anxiety severity, and depressive symptoms in individuals with bipolar disorder

Abstract

Objectives: Individuals with bipolar disorder commonly report cognitive impairment which is associated with several psychosocial factors (e.g., mood symptoms). Within this study, we investigated the relationship between these psychosocial factors and the perception of cognitive impairment in individuals with bipolar disorder.

Methods: We measured the relationship between subjective cognitive impairment and mood symptoms, quality of life, age, gender, bipolar disorder subtype, anxiety and sleep disturbance in 140 individuals with bipolar disorder with a mixed linear regression model. Our primary outcome measures were obtained via National Institute of Health (NIH)-sponsored PROMIS cognition scores.

Results: Results from the model suggest that both the PROMIS Cognitive Function and Cognitive Function-Abilities scores were significantly negatively correlated with sleep disturbance and depression symptoms (p≤0.05). PROMIS Cognitive Function was also significantly negatively correlated with anxiety (p≤0.05).

Limitations: Limitations of this study include the absence of a healthy control group, limited demographic diversity, and cross-sectional study design.

Conclusions: Perceived cognitive impairment in individuals with bipolar disorder is associated with increased sleep disturbance, depression, and anxiety. Future studies with objective cognitive measures combined with PROMIS self-report scores might further clarify the expression of cognitive impairment in bipolar disorder.