# Understanding the Role of Prolonged Exposure to Conflict and Violence in Dementia Risk: A Population Study in Lebanon

> **NIH NIH R01** · GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $731,404

## Abstract

The overall objective of this application is to investigate the role of stress-related experiences throughout the
life-course in the development of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD). Many individuals and
communities in the US experience prolonged periods of elevated stress and depression due to living in socially
or economically unstable environments, yet the impact of such experiences in dementia risk is not well
understood. A second objective is to investigate the personal care arrangements of older adults with dementia
in a rapidly changing informal and formal care environment, leaving many older adults with unmet care needs.
A second focus is on describing the care arrangements for older adults with dementia in a setting of dwindling
formal and informal sources of care. These conditions affect many individuals and communities in the US, yet
the impact of these exposures on ADRD risk and associated care needs later in life remain incompletely
understood. To accomplish these objectives, we propose to develop and conduct a new population-based of
middle-aged and older adults in Lebanon. Lebanon provides a unique setting to investigate the role of stressrelated
experiences throughout the life-course due to the prolonged duration of civil strife and conflict in this
country, starting with the onset of the civil war in 1975. As a result, many current generation older adults in
Lebanon have experiences repeated exposures to conflict and violence throughout much of their adulthood. In
Due to changes in fertility and migration in recent generations and the economic deterioration, many older
adults, including those suffering from dementia, face increasing challenges in addressing their care needs.
The proposed project has two over-arching goals. First, it aims to build new research capacity in Lebanon for
the conduct of rigorous epidemiological studies of ADRD and other important aging-related health and social
outcomes, with particular emphasis on longitudinal research designs and complex sampling strategies. The
research capacity activities will be developed and carried out in close collaboration between the investigative
teams at the American University of Beirut (AUB) and the University of Michigan, involving a series of training
modules that are relevant to the social and cultural context in Lebanon. Second, it aims to develop a new
population-based cohort study and recruit a sample of 3,000 adults aged 60 and older who will participate in a
structured assessment of dementia, caregiver needs and arrangements, and other health and social domains.
The study will use well-established methods to ascertain ADRD in a population-based context modeled after
population surveys of ADRD in the US, including the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), and the Harmonized
Cognitive Assessment Protocol (HCAP). The study intends to generate important new knowledge on novel risk
factors for ADRD, especially as it relates to the role of prolonged exposure...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10845485
- **Project number:** 5R01AG069016-06
- **Recipient organization:** GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** CARLOS F. MENDES DE LEON
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $731,404
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-09-15 → 2026-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10845485

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10845485, Understanding the Role of Prolonged Exposure to Conflict and Violence in Dementia Risk: A Population Study in Lebanon (5R01AG069016-06). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10845485. Licensed CC0.

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