Feeling Useful, Staying Sharp: The Interplay of Perceived Usefulness, Depressive Symptoms, and Cognitive Reserve in Cognitive Aging

Ella Cohn-Schwartz, Rabia Khalaila, Gerontology Program, Department of Epidemiology, and Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, er Sheva, Department of Nursing, Zefat Academic College

Journal of Applied Gerontology

Published online on July 22, 2026

Abstract

Journal of Applied Gerontology, Ahead of Print.
ObjectivesWe examined whether feeling useful to others is related to cognitive performance and whether this association is explained by depressive symptoms and moderated by cognitive reserve.MethodsThe study used a sample of 476 adults aged 50+ from the ...