Life-Course Religious Attendance and Cognitive Functioning in Later Life

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 217-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terrence D. Hill ◽  
Dawn C. Carr ◽  
Amy M. Burdette ◽  
Benjamin Dowd-Arrow
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Religious Life ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Religious Attendance ◽  
Retirement Study

Although several studies suggest that religious attendance is associated with better cognitive functioning in later life, researchers have generally failed to connect with any established life-course perspectives or theories of cognitive aging. Building on previous work, we examine the effects of life-course religious attendance on a range of cognitive functioning outcomes. We employ data from the religious life histories module of the 2016 Health and Retirement Study, a subsample of 516 adults aged 65 and older. Our key findings demonstrate that older adults who attended religious services for more of their life course tend to exhibit poorer working memory and mental status and better self-rated memory than older adults who attended less often. We contribute to previous research by reconceptualizing religious attendance as a cumulative life-course exposure, exploring the effects of religious attendance net of secular social engagement, and examining a wider range of cognitive functioning outcomes.

scholarly journals Transitions, generations andinformal learning in later life

2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 29
Author(s):  
John Field
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older People ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Demographic Change ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Identity Change ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Life Chances ◽  
The Life Course

The nature of transitions across the lifecourse is changing, as are the ways in which these transitions are understoodand investigated by social scientists. Much earlier debate on older adults’ transitions has tended to be rooted in acco-unts of relatively fixed social roles and age-based social stages. However, while we can detect some tendencies towardsdestandardization and restandardization of the lifecourse in later life, we can also see significant continuities in theinfluences of socio-economic position, gender, and ethnicity, as well as of generational position, that continue to affectpeople’s life chances, as well as the expectations and experiences of transition of older people. The paper examines theinterplay of these complex and contradictory structural positions and cultural locations on transitions, and considersthe ways in which older people use and understand learning, formally and informally, as a way of exercising agencyand recreating meaning. It will draw on recent research into the life histories of adults in Scotland, a relatively smallcountry with a typically European pattern of demographic change. The study was concerned with agency, identity,change and learning across the life course, and this paper will concentrate on the evidence relating to experiences oftransition in later life. It will particularly focus on the idea of ‘educational generations’ as a key concept that helps usunderstand how adults use and interpret learning in later life.

scholarly journals Childhood Socioeconomic Status and Cognitive Aging: An Intersectional Life Course Perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 519-519
Author(s):  
Addam Reynolds ◽  
Emily Greenfield ◽  
Sara Moorman ◽  
Laurent Reyes
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Later Life ◽  
The South ◽  
Structural Racism ◽  
Black Adults ◽  
Childhood Socioeconomic Status

Abstract Greater childhood socioeconomic status (cSES) is associated with better later life cognition. Largely absent from this literature is how structural racism potentially influences this relationship. Guided by intersectional life course theory, we examined if the influence of cSES and region of schooling on later life cognitive outcomes differs among non-Hispanic White (NHW) and Black older adults. We used data from the 2010-2016 waves of the Health and Retirement Study for participants ages 65 and older in 2010. Using growth mixture modeling, we estimated the associations between race, cSES (parental education, social, and financial capital), and region of schooling at age 10 (southern versus not) on cognitive performance. Consistent with prior research, there was a main effect of race on cognitive performance levels (but not with decline over time), with lower scores among older Black adults, on average. Among NHWs, higher cSES was protective for later life cognition, especially for NHW participants from the South. Although Black older adults who attended school outside of the South had higher levels of cognitive performance than their counterparts who attended school at age 10 in the South, Black older adults who attended school outside of the South--regardless of cSES--still had lower average scores on cognition at baseline than the most disadvantaged NHW participants. This paper implicates the effects of structural racism on cognitive performance among older Black adults, indicating the need for heightened attention to structural racism within interventions for optimizing brain health and promoting equitable cognitive aging across the life course.

scholarly journals Perceived Neighborhood Characteristics and Cognitive Functioning among Diverse Older Adults: An Intersectional Approach

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 2661
Author(s):  
Amy D. Thierry ◽  
Kyler Sherman-Wilkins ◽  
Marina Armendariz ◽  
Allison Sullivan ◽  
Heather R. Farmer
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Ethnic Disparities ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Neighborhood Characteristics ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Neighborhood Conditions ◽  
Gender And Education ◽  
Race Ethnicity

Unfavorable neighborhood conditions are linked to health disparities. Yet, a dearth of literature examines how neighborhood characteristics contribute to cognitive health in diverse samples of older adults. The present study uses an intersectional approach to examine how race/ethnicity, gender, and education moderate the association between neighborhood perceptions and cognitive functioning in later life. We used data from adults ≥65 years old (n = 8023) in the 2010–2016 waves of the nationally representative Health and Retirement Study (HRS). We conducted race/ethnicity-stratified linear regression models where cognitive functioning, measured using the 35-point Telephone Interview Cognitive Screen (TICS), was regressed on three neighborhood characteristics—cleanliness, safety, and social cohesion. We examine whether there is heterogeneity within race/ethnicity by testing if and how the relationship between neighborhood characteristics and cognitive functioning differs by gender and education. Among White adults, worse neighborhood characteristics were associated with lower cognitive functioning among those with less education. However, for Black adults, poor perceived quality of one’s neighborhood was associated with worse cognitive functioning among those with more years of education compared to those with fewer years of education. Among Mexicans, perceived neighborhood uncleanliness was associated with lower cognitive functioning among those with less education, but higher cognitive functioning for those with higher levels of education. Thus, this study contributes to the literature on racial/ethnic disparities in cognitive aging disparities by examining neighborhood contextual factors as determinants of cognitive functioning. In particular, we find that higher education in the context of less favorable neighborhood environments does not confer the same benefits to cognitive functioning among all older adults.

scholarly journals Social Engagement and Episodic Memory in Non-Hispanic Black and White Older Adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 343-343
Author(s):  
Abbey Hamlin ◽  
A Zarina Kraal ◽  
Laura Zahodne
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Social Activities ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Significant Positive Association ◽  
Cross Sectional

Abstract Social engagement may confer cognitive benefits in older adulthood, but studies have typically been restricted to largely non-Hispanic White (NHW) samples. Levels of social engagement vary across race such that NHW report larger social networks, more frequent participation in social activities, and greater social support than non-Hispanic Blacks (NHB). Associations between social engagement and cognition may also vary by race, but research is sparse. The current cross-sectional study examined associations between different aspects of social engagement and episodic memory performance, as well as interactions between social engagement and race among NHB and NHW participants in the Michigan Cognitive Aging Project (N = 247; 48.4% NHB; age = 64.19 ± 2.92). Social engagement (network size, activities, support) was self-reported. Episodic memory was a z-score composite of immediate, delayed, and recognition trials of a list-learning task. Separate hierarchical linear regression models quantified interactions between race and each of the three social engagement variables on episodic memory, controlling for sociodemographics, depressive symptoms, and health conditions. Results showed a main effect of more frequent social activity on better episodic memory, as well as an interaction between race and social support indicating a significant positive association in NHB but not NHW. These preliminary findings suggest that participating in social activities may be equally beneficial for episodic memory across NHB and NHW older adults and that social support may be particularly beneficial for NHB. Future research is needed to determine the potential applications of these results in reducing cognitive inequalities through the development of culturally-relevant interventions.

scholarly journals THE DIFFERENTIAL INFLUENCE OF REGIONAL CONTEXT ON LATER-LIFE HEALTH AND MORTALITY

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S806-S806
Author(s):  
Alicia Riley
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Health Effect ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
The South ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Health And Mortality ◽  
The U.S

Abstract This study examines regional disparities in later life health from a life course perspective. To sort out when and how region influences health over the life course, I focus on the sharp contrast between the South and the rest of the U.S. in health and mortality. I draw on data from the National Life Health and Aging Project (NSHAP), a nationally representative sample of community-dwelling older adults in the U.S., to estimate the differential risk of multiple health outcomes and mortality by regional trajectory. I find that older adults who leave the South are worse off in multiple outcomes than those who stay. I also find evidence of a protective health effect of community cohesion and dense social networks for the Southerners who stay in the South. My results suggest that regional trajectory influences health in later life through its associations with socioeconomic status, access to healthcare, and social rootedness.

scholarly journals COGNITIVE DECLINE AMONG OLDER ADULTS IN RURAL CHINA: THE PROTECTIVE ROLE OF FORMAL SCHOOLING

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S205-S206
Author(s):  
Yaolin Pei ◽  
Bei Wu ◽  
Zhen Cong ◽  
Mengyao Hu
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Multilevel Models ◽  
Life Experience ◽  
Sampling Strategy ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Formal Schooling

Abstract Evidence shows that education is strongly associated with cognitive functioning; however, few studies have examined the effect of education on cognitive decline among older adults with very limited education. Our study analyzed six waves of panel data (2001, 2003 2006, 2009, 2012 and 2015) from the Longitudinal Study of Older Adults in Anhui Province, China. We estimated two-level multilevel models of cognitive functioning for older adults age 60+, sampled using probability sampling strategy. We found that having formal schooling was positively associated with better cognitive functioning. Older adults with formal schooling had slower decline in cognition and the gap in cognition between the literate and illiterate widened with age. These findings highlight the role of early life experience in affecting cognitive function in later life and suggest that disadvantages in cognitive functioning accumulate throughout the life course for persons with no formal education.

scholarly journals When Culture Influences Genes: Positive Age Beliefs Amplify the Cognitive-Aging Benefit of APOE ε2

2020 ◽  
Vol 75 (8) ◽  
pp. e198-e203
Author(s):  
Becca R Levy ◽  
Martin D Slade ◽  
Robert H Pietrzak ◽  
Luigi Ferrucci
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Self Perceptions ◽  
Cognitive Benefit ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Retirement Study

Abstract Objectives Most studies of aging cognition have focused on risk factors for worse performance and on either genetic or environmental factors. In contrast, we examined whether 2 factors known to individually benefit aging cognition may interact to produce better cognition: environment-based positive age beliefs and the APOE ε2 gene. Method The sample consisted of 3,895 Health and Retirement Study participants who were 60 years or older at baseline and completed as many as 5 assessments of cognition over 8 years. Results As predicted, positive age beliefs amplified the cognitive benefit of APOE ε2. In contrast, negative age beliefs suppressed the cognitive benefit of APOE ε2. We also found that positive age beliefs contributed nearly 15 times more than APOE ε2 to better cognition. Discussion This study provides the first known evidence that self-perceptions can influence the impact of a gene on cognition. The results underscore the importance of combined psychosocial and biological approaches to understanding cognitive function in older adults.

How Self-Employed Older Adults Differ by Age: Evidence and Implications From the Health and Retirement Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cal J Halvorsen
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Safety Net ◽  
Risk Tolerance ◽  
Health And Retirement Study ◽  
Retirement Benefits ◽  
Self Employment ◽  
Design And Methods ◽  
Retirement Study

Abstract Background and Objectives There has been increased attention in recent years on self-employment in later life, with about 1 in 5 workers past of the age of 50 working for themselves. This study aims to build upon previous documentation of the characteristics of self-employed older adults by estimating how these characteristics vary by age. Research Design and Methods Using 7 waves of the Health and Retirement Study with a sample of more than 16,000 working older adults, this study considers how the association between self-employment and sociodemographic characteristics; indicators of human, social, and financial capital; and risk tolerance differ between adults aged 50–61 and 62 years and older. Binary logistic regression and seemingly unrelated estimation are used to estimate and compare the characteristics by age group. Results Compared to wage-and-salary work and controlling for all other factors in the models, the oldest self-employed group was more likely to identify as Black, report lower health, and receive health insurance from several sources than the younger group. Further, the older group reported lower individual earnings from work yet higher total household income (less individual earnings) and was also less likely to formally volunteer at the highest commitment levels. Discussion and Implications With some exceptions, these results indicate that the diversity of self-employed older adults within traditional retirement age is greater than among those before this age. Implications regarding how access to key safety net programs, such as Social Security retirement benefits and Medicare, may lead to this finding are discussed.

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