Associations between life course marital biography and late-life memory decline.

Abstract

Late-life marital status is associated with cognitive aging; however, the influence of life course marital biography (i.e., changes in marital status) on late-life cognitive trajectories, as well as gender differences in the effects of marital biography, remain to be explored. Associations between (a) marital status at study baseline (currently married, previously married, never married) and (b) retrospectively reported life course marital biography (i.e., age at first marriage, time spent unmarried following initial marriage, history of divorce, history of widowhood) and up to 20 years of subsequent episodic memory trajectories were examined using latent growth curve models in 3,061 participants aged 51+ in the Health and Retirement Study 2017 Life History Mail Survey. Gender differences were examined with multiplicative interaction terms and stratified models. Participants who were married at study baseline demonstrated higher initial memory than previously and never married individuals. Older age at first marriage and shorter duration spent unmarried were each associated with better initial episodic memory among previously married individuals only; longer duration spent unmarried was associated with slower memory decline. Stratified models suggested that these associations may be driven by women. These results highlight the importance of considering multiple aspects of marital biography, not just current marital status, in cognitive aging research. Marital biography may have an enduring influence on cognitive aging, particularly among previously married older women. Future work is needed to identify mechanisms (e.g., socioeconomic resources, cognitive stimulation, self and spousal health, emotional support) through which marital histories influence cognitive aging.

Social engagement and its links to cognition differ across non-Hispanic Black and White older adults.

“…Analyses adjusted for the following covariates, all of which were self-reported at the time of study enrollment. Covariates were selected that could be conceptualized as confounding variables based on the existing literature demonstrating each having an association with both social engagement and cognition: age (years; English & Carstensen, 2014; Park et al, 2003); sex/gender (binary, reference group: men; Li & Singh, 2014; Thomas, 2011); completed years of education (0–20; Chapko et al, 2018; Glymour & Manly, 2008); marital status (binary; reference group: single/widowed/divorced/not currently partnered (Harwood et al, 2000; Zaheed, Sharifian, Morris, et al, 2021); and wealth (assets minus debts; Cagney & Lauderdale, 2002; Rozanova et al, 2012). We additionally covaried for depressive symptoms (Glass et al, 2006; Wilson et al, 2004) and chronic disease burden (Meek et al, 2018; Nelson et al, 2020), which could be conceptualized as confounders and/or mediators of links between social engagement and cognition.…”