Later-Life Trajectories of Cognitive Functioning among Married and Widowed Older Men and Women of Mexican Origin

Monserud, Maria A.

doi:10.1007/s10823-019-09380-w

Cited by 9 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…Previous studies have confirmed that Chinese elderly women are more likely to benefit from close relationships with their children than men [46], which may protect their cognitive function after being widowed. However, our conclusion differs from studies in Mexico and India, which supported the view that widowhood would do more damage to elderly women rather than men [22,23]. The mixed results may be related to differences in family function and gender conception across countries.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 97%

“…Several studies have demonstrated that widowed men, but not women, had a worse health condition than married people [20,21]. However, widowhood has had a more serious negative impact on women of Mexican origin because they were more likely to adhere to traditional family roles [22], as well as in India with relatively conservative marriage culture and strict gender norms [23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Association between Widowhood and Cognitive Function among Chinese Elderly People: Do Gender and Widowhood Duration Make a Difference?

Xiang

Liu

et al. 2021

Healthcare

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Few studies have examined the effects of widowhood on cognitive function in Chinese elderly individuals. We conducted a longitudinal study to assess the association between widowhood and cognitive function and further explored gender differences in this association and the impact of widowhood duration. The analytical sample consisted of 5872 Chinese elderly people who participated in the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) and were followed up from 2005 to 2014. We used the Chinese version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) to assess cognitive function. Widowhood duration was calculated from the self-reported year at which the spouse passed away. Multilevel growth models were employed to estimate the association between widowhood and cognitive function while adjusting for many demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Widowhood status was associated with cognitive decline among Chinese elderly individuals after adjusting for covariates (B = −0.440, 95% CI −0.727 to −0.152), and this association was only statistically significant among men (B = −0.722, 95% CI −1.104 to −0.339). Being widowed for 5 years or less (B = −0.606, 95% CI −1.112 to −0.100), 16–20 years (B = −0.937, 95% CI −1.685 to −0.190), and 21+ years (B = −1.401, 95% CI −1.967 to −0.834) predicted worse cognitive function in men, while being widowed for more than 21+ years (B = −0.655, 95% CI −1.186 to −0.124) was associated with cognitive decline in women. More attention should be directed towards widowed men and long-term widowed elderly individuals.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Association between Widowhood and Cognitive Function among Chinese Elderly People: Do Gender and Widowhood Duration Make a Difference?

Xiang

Liu

et al. 2021

Healthcare

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“…The first is health damage caused by bereavement. A large and growing body of literature has examined the strong psychological responses that occur in widowhood, including intense loneliness (Hacihasanoğlu et al, 2012), severe depression (Monserud., 2019), and low subjective well‐being (Cheng et al, 2021). There is a link between an individual's mental health and physical health (Ohrnberger et al, 2017), and mental health can explain physical health, which is especially accurate for older adults.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can community‐based care moderate widowhood's health impact? –A longitudinal study among older Chinese adults

Meng

Liu

Xiang

et al. 2022

Health Social Care Comm

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The plethora of pathways leading to health problems of later life has made the causal assessment of widowhood on the health of older adults difficult. This research aimed to assess the short‐term impact of widowhood on the objective health of older adults and to the moderating role of community‐based care (CBC) in improving the health outcomes of older adults. In this study, the activities of daily living (ADLs) and number of hospitalisations of older adults were measured, and PSM‐DID models were conducted. Widowhood had a significant negative impact on the objective health of older adults. Widowed adults had higher ADL scores (B = 0.569, 95 percent CI: 0.295 to 0.844) and more hospitalisations (B = 2.551, 95 percent CI: 1.189 to 3.914) than nonwidowed adults. Meanwhile, CBC in urban areas can significantly reduce ADL scores (B = −0.154, SE = 0.082) and the number of hospitalisations (B = −1.402, SE = 0.348) in older adults, whereas CBC in rural areas can only significantly reduce ADL scores (B = −0.197, SE = 0.087). Taken together, there is an urgent need to focus on the health of widowed and older adults and to provide CBC in both urban and rural areas equally.

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“…Research regarding gender differences in the link between marital status and later-life cognition is sparse (Monserud, 2019), and results have been mixed. While some research suggest that differences in episodic memory (Rosnick et al, 2010) and in the odds of cognitive decline and dementia for divorced or widowed relative to married older adults are greater for men than women (Brown et al, 2020; Liu, Zhang, Choi, et al, 2019), others suggest that women experience greater cognitive dysfunction following spousal loss than men (Vidarsdottir et al, 2014).…”

Section: Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Zaheed¹,

Sharifian²,

Morris³

et al. 2021

Psychology and Aging

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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.

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Later-Life Trajectories of Cognitive Functioning among Married and Widowed Older Men and Women of Mexican Origin

Cited by 9 publications

References 55 publications

The Association between Widowhood and Cognitive Function among Chinese Elderly People: Do Gender and Widowhood Duration Make a Difference?

The Association between Widowhood and Cognitive Function among Chinese Elderly People: Do Gender and Widowhood Duration Make a Difference?

Can community‐based care moderate widowhood's health impact? –A longitudinal study among older Chinese adults

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

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