Background and Objectives This study investigates whether subjective memory decline in a racially diverse sample of older adults without cognitive impairment at baseline is associated with incident cognitive impairment during a 12-year follow-up period. Research Design and Methods With panel data from a national sample (N=9,244) of cognitively-intact Black, White, and Hispanic Americans 65 years or older in 2004, we examine if subjective memory decline is associated with the loss of normal cognition by 2016. Cognitive status was assessed every two years with a modified version of the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status to identify the transition from normal cognition to cognitive impairment. Results Estimates from Weibull accelerated failure-time models reveal that subjective memory decline is associated with earlier incident cognitive impairment (time ratio = 0.96, p<.05). In subsequent models stratified by race-ethnicity, this association was evident among White respondents (time ratio = 0.95, p<.01) but not among Black, US-born Hispanic, or foreign-born Hispanic respondents. Discussion and Implications Given that the prognostic validity of subjective memory decline differs by race and ethnicity, caution is warranted when using it as a screening or clinical tool in diverse populations.
Background and Objectives Although research on the health benefits of volunteering has proliferated, most studies are cross-sectional and rely on self-reported measures of health. Drawing from role theory, the objectives of this study are to examine if (1) volunteering engagement is related to systemic inflammation in later life, as measured by C-reactive protein (CRP), (2) the effect of volunteering varies by age and (3) volunteering is related to change in CRP over time. Research Design and Methods This study uses four waves of data from the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative survey of adults 50 years or older. Nested linear regression models were used to examine the relationship between volunteer engagement and CRP concentration in later life. Residualized regression models were used to examine the effects of volunteer engagement on change in CRP. Results Results revealed that volunteering is modestly associated with lower CRP concentration, but only for respondents 65+. Highly engaged volunteers had lower CRP than both mid-level and non-volunteers. Longitudinal analyses revealed a leveling of the beneficial effect of volunteering by age, indicative of reduced returns among the oldest respondents in our sample. Discussion and Implications These results support previous studies that volunteering, and doing so at a high engagement level, is associated with slightly lower levels of CRP. Leaders in medicine, public health, and social services should consider implementing volunteering programs for older adults.
Objectives The rising prevalence of cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease, and related disorders signals the need for a better understanding of how social factors may affect cognitive health for millions of Americans. Drawing from cumulative inequality theory, we aim to understand the implications of a stressful childhood on social relationships and cognitive health in later life. Methods This study utilizes longitudinal data (2006-2016) from the Health and Retirement Study to examine pathways, both direct and indirect through social relationships in adulthood, from childhood stressors to cognitive health trajectories over time. Results Respondents reporting a greater number of stressors in childhood had worse cognitive health over time, but those negative effects were not as steep as time progressed. Early-life stressors are also associated with less social support and more social strain in adulthood which, in turn, are associated with initial cognitive health. Finally, pathway analyses confirm that childhood stressors are indirectly associated with initial cognitive health through social strain and social support. Discussion Findings reveal that a stressful childhood creates chains of risks that have lifelong implications for cognitive health, both directly and indirectly by creating obstacles for developing healthy and supportive social relationships.
Objectives Although striking racial and ethnic disparities in health are manifest during later life, they may be rooted in early-life exposures. Drawing from cumulative inequality theory, we investigate whether life course stressors are associated with risk of later life functional limitations and whether this relationship differs by race and ethnicity. Methods We utilize longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study to test whether child and adult stressors predict trajectories of the occurrence and severity of functional limitations among a diverse sample of older adults. Results Child and adult stressors are associated with greater occurrence and severity of functional limitations during later life. Mediation analyses reveal the indirect influence of child stressors via adult stressors on occurrence and severity of functional limitations; however, the indirect effects are slightly stronger for Black and Hispanic adults than their White counterparts. Discussion Child stressors, in and of themselves, do not increase functional limitations among Black and Hispanic people but are associated with greater adult stress exposure, predisposing them to more functional limitations. Results suggest that childhood stressors are associated with distinct social pathways to functional limitations among Black, White, and Hispanic older adults.
With population aging and the growing population at-risk of cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease, and related dementias, there is a need for a better understanding of how social factors may affect cognitive impairment. Drawing from stress process theory and social integration theory, we examine the impact of positive and negative dimensions of relationship quality with friends and family on cognitive impairment in later life. We analyze Cox proportional hazards models using nationally representative panel data from the Health and Retirement Study (2006-2016, N=10,626) to examine how the quality of family and friend relationships in adulthood may influence risk of cognitive impairment. Strain with family members and with friends was significantly related to higher risk of cognitive impairment (Hazard Ratio: 1.15 [95% CI: 1.08, 1.21] and 1.20 [95% CI: 1.13, 1.28], respectively). Support from family members was beneficial, related to lower risk of cognitive impairment (HR: 0.93, CI: .89, .99); however, support from friends was related to higher risk of cognitive impairment (HR: 1.10, CI: 1.05, 1.14). Findings reveal the implications of social support and strain in different types of relationships for cognitive health.
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