Association between childhood friendship and cognitive ageing trajectory in later life: evidence from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS)

Abstract

Background Childhood experience has been suggested to affect cognitive function in later life. However, the association between childhood friendship status and cognitive ageing trajectory in middle-aged and older adults has not been fully assessed. This study examined the association between childhood friendship status and cognitive ageing trajectory and identified factors modifying this association. Methods We used four waves of data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), a national representative longitudinal study of adults aged 45 years or older, 2011–2018. The CHARLS included surveys on childhood friendship and cognitive assessments. Childhood friendship status was categorised as poor, fair, and good. To examine the association between childhood friendship and cognitive ageing trajectory in later life, we applied multilevel linear regression models, and explored potential influences of sociodemographic factors, health status and behaviours, and childhood conditions on this association. Results Of the 4,350 participants, 1,919 (44.1%) were women. The mean age was 56.29 ± 7.80 years. We found childhood friendship was significantly associated with cognitive ageing trajectory in later life, with a dose–response relationship. After adjusting for covariates, comparing to participants with poor childhood friendships, those with better childhood friendships had lower rates of cognitive decline (β = 0.12, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.03 to 0.22 [interaction term of fair friendship and time]; β = 0.19, 95% CI: 0.10 to 0.28 [interaction term of good friendship and time]) and higher level of cognitive functions (β = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.22 to 0.58 [fair friendships]; β = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.43 to 0.79 [good friendships]). These associations were stronger for those who were female, less educated, and had experienced more adverse childhood experiences. Conclusions Childhood friendship is associated with cognitive ageing in later life. Enhancing childhood friendships can play an important role to promote healthy ageing in the future.

New evidence of trends in cognitive function among middle-aged and older adults in China, 2011-2018: an age-period-cohort analysis

“…Respondents received a score of 1 if they successfully finished the task, for those who failed received a score of 0 [33]. Consistent with prior CHARLS publications, the sum of all three above measures represented the respondent's cognitive status (ranging from 0 to 21, Cronbach's α = 0.835), and higher scores indicated better cognitive functioning [34][35][36][37].…”

Association between Grandparenting and Cognitive Function in Middle-Aged and Older Chinese: the mediation role of Children’s Intergenerational Support—A nationally representative cohort study

“…According to previous studies [24,25], cognitive function is measured by two dimensions: episodic memory and mental intactness. Episodic memory is assessed using word recall tests.…”

Are adverse childhood experiences associated with trajectories of healthy aging? Evidence from China

“…Happiness and misfortune during childhood may play an extremely important role in shaping the health status of individuals throughout their lives. A substantial number of studies have explored the associations between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and deleterious health consequences, including risk of frailty, accelerated development of biological aging, chronic diseases and multimorbidity, depression, risk of cognitive dysfunction, and so on ( Baranyi et al, 2019 ; Colich et al, 2020 ; Gold et al, 2021 ; Lin et al, 2021 ; Rocca et al, 2017 ; Xie et al, 2022 ; Yao, 2021 ; Zhang & Zhang, 2022 ). Some studies have further explored the possible mechanisms between ACEs and healthy outcomes.…”