Early Child–Parent Relationship Quality and Cognitive Function in Older Rural Chinese Adults: The Mediating Role of Educational Attainment

2021 ◽  
pp. 089826432199656
Author(s):  
Changmin Peng ◽  
Jeffrey A. Burr ◽  
Dong Yang ◽  
Nan Lu

Objectives: Framed within a life course perspective and cognitive reserve theory, this study examined the mediating role of educational attainment for the association between child–parent relationships during childhood and cognitive function among older adults in rural China. Methods: Data were obtained from three waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study ( N = 9809). We employed latent growth curve modeling to test the association among early child–parent relationship quality, educational attainment, and cognitive function in later life. Results: Early child–mother relationship quality was associated with the level and change in cognitive function. Early child–father relationship quality was only related to baseline cognitive function. Educational attainment mediated the relationship between early child–parent relationship quality with mothers and fathers and cognitive function. Discussion: Parental relationship experience in childhood was one distal factor related to cognitive function among older adults. The findings supported the long-term impacts of childhood conditions for later life health consequences.

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (7) ◽  
pp. e93-e104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yujun Liu ◽  
Margie E Lachman

Abstract Objectives Although educational attainment is related to cognitive function in later life, little is known about the mechanisms involved. This study assessed the independent mediating effects of two behavioral variables, physical and cognitive activity, on the association between educational attainment and cognitive function and change. Methods Data were derived from the three waves of the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study. Predictors (educational attainment) were from the 1995 baseline, mediators (physical and cognitive activities) were from the 2004 wave, and outcomes (cognitive function) were from the 2004 and 2013 waves. Conditional process modeling was applied using PROCESS in SPSS. Results There were both direct and indirect effects of educational attainment on level and change of executive function (EF) and episodic memory (EM). Physical activity and cognitive activity were both significant mediators for cognitive level. For mediators of change, however, cognitive activity was significant for EF and physical activity was significant for EM. Discussion Physical and cognitive activity are discussed as possible factors for protecting against cognitive decline in later life. The findings have implications for advancing supportive policies and practices related to maximizing the benefits of education and physical and cognitive activities for cognition in middle age and later life.


Author(s):  
Jingyue Zhang ◽  
Nan Lu ◽  
Wenxiu Wang

While social capital is recognized as an important protective determinant of cognitive function in later life, there is a lack of research examining the potential moderators and mediators in the mechanisms linking social capital to cognitive function. This study investigated the moderating role of education on the relationship between social capital and cognitive function among older adults in urban Chinese communities. Data were derived from a community survey conducted in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China, in late 2015. A quota sampling method was applied to recruit respondents aged 60 years or older from 16 communities in the Gusu district. The final analytic sample size was 446. Multiple group analysis was applied to test the proposed model. The results show that cognitive social capital was significantly associated with cognitive function in the high education group only. Structural social capital was not significantly associated with cognitive function. The findings highlight the important role of social capital in influencing cognitive function in later life. Social capital interventions could be particularly useful as a preventive approach to help older adults sustain their cognitive function levels. Policy and intervention implications are discussed.


Medicine ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 100 (40) ◽  
pp. e27416
Author(s):  
Keisuke Fujii ◽  
Yuya Fujii ◽  
Naruki Kitano ◽  
Ayane Sato ◽  
Kazushi Hotta ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (S1) ◽  
pp. 64-64
Author(s):  
T.J. Holwerda ◽  
D. Rhebergen ◽  
H.C. Comijs ◽  
J.J.M. Dekker ◽  
M.L. Stek

Background:The prevalence of loneliness increases with age. The presence of loneliness in older adults has been found to be associated with health problems such as depression, decreased cognitive functioning, increases in systolic blood pressure and increased mortality. The underlying mechanisms of the higher mortality risk are largely unknown.Methods:Meta-analysis to investigate the present evidence for the associations between loneliness and mortality. Cross-sectional studies investigating the associations between loneliness and cardiovascular disease and between loneliness and cortisol in 378 depressed and 132 non-depressed older adults.Results:Loneliness appears to be associated with increased mortality, although when only studies are included that consider depression as a covariate, the association is not significant. Therefore it seems likely that depression plays a mediating role in the higher mortality risk.We did not find a significant association between loneliness and cardiovascular disease. In contrast, loneliness was significantly associated with lower cortisol output and decreased dexamethasone suppression.Discussion:The results and their implications for prevention and treatment will be discussed from a clinical perspective as well as a general health perspective. Is loneliness as potentially dangerous as depression?


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 278-279
Author(s):  
Feilong Wang ◽  
Shijie Li ◽  
Kaifa Wang ◽  
Yanni Yang

Abstract Older adults with subjective memory complaints (SMCs) are at increased risk for episodic memory decline. Episodic memory decline is an important predictor of objective memory impairment (one of the earliest symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease) and an often-suggested criterion of successful memory aging. Therefore, it is important to explore the determinant factors that influence episodic memory in older adults with SMCs. Roy adaptation model and preliminary evidence suggest that older adults with SMCs undergo a coping and adaptation process, a process influenced by many health-related risks and protective factors. This study aimed to explore the relationship between coping capacity and episodic memory, and the mediating role of healthy lifestyle between coping capacity and episodic memory in a sample of 309 community-dwelling older adults with SMCs. Results from the structural equation modeling showed that coping capacity directly affects episodic memory (r=0.629, p<0.001), and there is a partial mediating effect (60.5%) of healthy lifestyle among this sample of older adults with SMCs. This study demonstrates that coping capacity and adaptation positively correlate with episodic memory in older adults with SMCs, and that these correlations are mediated by healthy lifestyle. The results suggest that older adults with poor coping capacity should be assessed and monitored regularly, and clear lifestyle-related interventions initiated by healthcare providers that promote healthy lifestyles may effectively improve coping capacity and episodic memory in this population group. Note: First author: Feilong Wang, Co-first author: Shijie li, Corresponding author: Yanni Yang


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 301-301
Author(s):  
Qiwei Li ◽  
Becky Knight

Abstract Falls have been a crucial threat for older adults to stay independent. Once they have fallen, older adults are more likely to receive injuries and become people with disabilities. Conventionally, the measurement of fall efficacy focused on the capacity of performing certain activities such as walking or bathing without a fall. However, given the fact that one out of five older adults fall every year, self-efficacy in self-protection when falls do happen calls for a better understanding of confidence in self-management of a fall. Among predictors for fall prevention outcomes, “fear of falls” has received attention. However, “fear of falls” was largely missing in studies exploring self-management of falls in scenarios where falls do happen. This study explores the predictors for CSMoF including “fear of falls”. A series of simultaneous and hierarchical regression analyses with related interaction analyses and a path model were applied to determine the contribution of each predictor variable and the mediating role of “fear of falls”. The findings of the study reported that demographic characteristics, chronic conditions, and perceptions of falls were associated with CSMoF. The path analysis confirmed the mediating role of “fear of falls” as the indirect effects were occupying substantial percentages in the total identified effects. “Fear of falls” should continue to be a core of fall prevention programs and is particularly important for programs that aim to teach older adults what to do when they fall, whom to call for help, and how to avoid injuries upon falling.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document