Statistical analyses

Independent sample t-tests and chi-square analyses were conducted to evaluate differences between men and women continuous and categorical variables, respectively, (evaluated at an alpha level of p < .05). Multiple regressions were conducted using the PROCESS macro (model 1) in SPSS (Version 26). Criterion variables for subjective cognition included: CFQ-total, CFQ-memory, CFQ-distractibility, CFQ-blunders, CFQ-names and objective cognitive outcomes (Stroop Task RT on control trials [processing speed], Stroop Task RT on congruent trials [processing speed and attention], Stroop Task RT on incongruent trials [inhibition]). Independent variables included CAS, sex, and the CAS x sex interaction. Analyses for the subjective cognitive outcomes controlled for age, education, total household income (considered a measure of socioeconomic status), number of medical conditions, and COVID-19 status. Due to the known association between cognitive function and sleep medications (Hanlon et al., 1998) and pain medications (Finan et al., 2013), analyses also controlled for current use of sleep or pain medication.

Given the smaller subset of individuals who completed the online cognitive tasks (N = 62, 33 men/29 women) and the general rule of thumb in regression analyses to examine one independent variable per every 10 cases (Harrell, 2015), we reduced the number of covariates for regression analyses of objective cognitive outcomes. In these analyses, we controlled for common covariates associated with cognitive aging and age-related health conditions: age, education and number of medical conditions.

In the case of a significant interaction in regression models, follow-up tests of simple slopes were used to examine the strength and significance of the association between CAS and cognitive outcomes among men and women. All regression results were evaluated at an alpha level of p < .05.