P3-581: RACIAL DIFFERENCES IN ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS IN ADOLESCENCE AND LATER LIFE SELF-RATED COGNITIVE ABILITY AMONG PARTICIPANTS IN THE PROJECT TALENT AGING STUDY

Objectives Gerotranscendence is defined as a transition from a materialistic and rationalistic perspective to a more cosmic and transcendent view of life accompanying the aging process. Would gerotranscendence levels still increase in later life? The current prospective study investigates 10-year trajectories of cosmic transcendence (a core dimension of gerotranscendence). Methods Four interview cycles of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam with 3-year intervals from 1995 to 2006 provide data on cosmic transcendence, demographics (ages 57–85), religiousness, health, sense of mastery, and humor coping. Data are available for 2,257 respondents and 1,533 respondents in multivariate models. Results Latent Class Growth Analysis shows three course trajectories of cosmic transcendence: stable high, intermediate with a decrease, and stable low. Higher levels are predicted by age, importance of prayer, Roman Catholic affiliation, a low sense of mastery, higher cognitive ability, and humor coping. Similar results were obtained for the respondents who died during the study ( N = 378). Discussion Although levels of cosmic transcendence do not show much change during 10 years of follow-up, the oldest respondents nonetheless attain the highest cosmic transcendence levels. An inclination toward relativism and contemplation may facilitate cosmic transcendence. However, lower cognitive ability probably impairs the development toward cosmic transcendence.

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Racial Differences in Depression Trajectories among Older Women

Journal of Health and Social Behavior ◽

10.1177/0022146511410432 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 52 (4) ◽

pp. 444-459 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

Naomi J. Spence ◽

Daniel E. Adkins ◽

Matthew E. Dupre

Keyword(s):

Socioeconomic Status ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Black Women ◽

Physical Health ◽

Racial Differences ◽

White Women ◽

Later Life ◽

Theoretical Frameworks ◽

Growth Curve Models ◽

Black And White

Despite recent increases in life course research on mental illness, important questions remain about the social patterning of, and explanations for, depression trajectories among women in later life. The authors investigate competing theoretical frameworks for the age patterning of depressive symptoms and the physical health, socioeconomic, and family mechanisms differentiating black and white women. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Mature Women, the authors use linear mixed (growth curve) models to estimate trajectories of distress for women aged 52 to 81 years ( N = 3,182). The results demonstrate that: (1) there are persistently higher levels of depressive symptoms among black women relative to white women throughout later life; (2) physical health and socioeconomic status account for much of the racial gap in depressive symptoms; and (3) marital status moderates race differences in distress. The findings highlight the importance of physical health, family, and socioeconomic status in racial disparities in mental health.

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RACIAL DIFFERENCES IN CONTEMPLATIVE PRACTICES IN LATER LIFE: EXAMINING THE ROLE OF SES AND HEALTH DISADVANTAGE

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.537 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S149-S149

Author(s):

Nirmala Lekhak ◽

Tirth Bhatta ◽

Timothy Goler

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Socioeconomic Status ◽

Racial Differences ◽

Life Events ◽

Later Life ◽

Well Being ◽

Black Adults ◽

Opposite Pattern ◽

Contemplative Practices ◽

Private Prayer

Abstract Substantial scholarly attention has been placed on prayer as a buffer of life events’ adverse influences on well-being in later life. The disproportionate distribution of adverse life events among Black adults has also attracted scholarly interest in racial differences in contemplative practices. Black adults have been found to more likely engage in private prayer than White adults, whereas studies have observed an opposite pattern for meditation. The contribution of stratification in socioeconomic status and health to racial differences in contemplative practices, especially in meditation has received relatively less attention. Drawing from a subsample from Health and Retirement Survey (N = 1102), this study takes a next necessary step to assess the contribution of socioeconomic status, multimorbidity, and depressive symptoms to racial differences in both prayer and meditation use in later life. Consistent with prior studies, the odds of engaging in private prayer (OR=2.78, p<0.01) was higher among Blacks than White older adults. Our findings of higher odds (OR=2.92, p<0.001) of meditation among Black older adults than White older adults, however, do not align with previous studies. The disadvantage in socioeconomic status, health, and psychological well-being completely explain racial differences in prayer, but this difference in meditation persist even after adjusting for those factors. Our findings call for further research on contextually influenced underlying individual motivations that drive older adults of different racial and social economic groups to engage in various contemplative practices. Further research is also warranted on how older adults, particularly Blacks differentiate between private prayer and meditation.

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Racial Differences in Health and Health Care Service Utilization in Later Life: The Effect of Socioeconomic Status

Journal of Health and Social Behavior ◽

10.2307/2137102 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 32 (4) ◽

pp. 342 ◽

Cited By ~ 113

Author(s):

Jan E. Mutchler ◽

Jeffrey A. Burr

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Socioeconomic Status ◽

Racial Differences ◽

Service Utilization ◽

Care Service ◽

Health Care Service ◽

Later Life ◽

Health Care Service Utilization

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Cognitive ability, education and socioeconomic status in childhood and risk of post-stroke depression in later life: A systematic review and meta-analysis

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0200525 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 13 (7) ◽

pp. e0200525 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Ellen V. Backhouse ◽

Caroline A. McHutchison ◽

Vera Cvoro ◽

Susan D. Shenkin ◽

Joanna M. Wardlaw

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Socioeconomic Status ◽

Cognitive Ability ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Later Life ◽

Post Stroke ◽

Post Stroke Depression

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Greater Adolescent Cognitive Ability Is Linked to Lower Risk of Cognitive Impairment in Later Life

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.1853 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 481-482

Author(s):

Tara Gruenewald ◽

Catalina Zavala ◽

Molli Grossman ◽

Thalida Arpawong ◽

Jennifer Manly ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Educational Attainment ◽

Life Course ◽

Cognitive Ability ◽

Cognitive Assessment ◽

Later Life ◽

Cognitive Domains ◽

Positive Screen ◽

Aging Study ◽

Sibling Models

Abstract There have been few investigations of the role that adolescent cognitive ability plays in predicting later-life cognitive impairment, and the mechanisms, such greater life course educational exposure, that might underlie these connections. This knowledge gap is due, in part, to a lack of cohorts with early-life cognitive assessment who are followed to later adulthood. We capitalized on data from the 1960 Project Talent (PT) high school cohort (n>360,000) and two recent follow-ups, the Project Talent Twin & Sibling (PTTS; n=2,491 in 2014) Study and the Project Talent Aging Study (PTAS; n=6,421 in 2018), to examine these potential links. In 1960, ability was assessed in multiple cognitive domains (e.g., general aptitude, quantitative, reasoning). Participants/proxies reporting 2 or more symptoms of cognitive impairment in 2018 on the AD8 Dementia Screener were classified as having a positive screen. Binary logistic generalized estimating equations with race, sex, and adolescent family SES covariates, indicated that in multiple cognitive domains, higher ability in adolescence predicted lower odds of a positive AD8 screen in later life (ORs of 0.80 - 0.85). The effects were only slightly attenuated with inclusion of life course educational attainment. Sibling models found a similar pattern of associations and effect sizes, indicating that the association is not attributable to shared family and genetic background. These findings indicate that higher cognitive ability as indicated by better performance in multiple cognitive domains in adolescence may be protective against cognitive impairment five decades later and life course educational attainment only partially mediates this association.

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