The association between adult child education and cognitive functioning among older parents: A cross-national comparison of diverse contexts

IF 11.1 1区医学 Q1 CLINICAL NEUROLOGY Alzheimer's & Dementia Pub Date : 2025-01-27 DOI:10.1002/alz.14562

Emma Nichols, Karla R. Flores Romero, Dipti Govil, Jinkook Lee, Jaqueline M. Torres

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Abstract

INTRODUCTION

The association between adult child educational attainment and older parent's cognitive health may vary across diverse contexts but cross-national comparisons have been limited by differences in outcome assessment, study design, and analytic choices.

METHODS

We used harmonized data with comprehensive cognitive assessments from the United States (N = 3088), India (N = 3828), and Mexico (N = 1875) to estimate associations between adult child education and older adults’ cognitive functioning using linear regression models adjusted for respondent and family-level socio-economic status (SES) in each study.

RESULTS

Each additional year of offspring education was associated with 0.02 (Longitudinal Aging Study in India – Diagnostic Assessment of Dementia [LASI-DAD]) to 0.04 (Health and Retirement Study Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol Survey [HRS-HCAP], Mexican Health and Aging Study Cognitive Aging Ancillary Study [Mex-Cog]) standard deviation (SD) units higher cognitive score (pooled estimate: 0.032 [95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.018–0.046]), comparable to about 1/3–1/4 of the association with respondents’ own years of education. Differences by respondent gender were heterogeneous across contexts.

DISCUSSION

Consistent overall estimates despite differences in context and potential confounding structures underscore the importance of offspring education for cognitive outcomes among older adults.

Highlights

The harmonized study design allows for fair comparisons across diverse contexts.
Effect sizes were largely consistent across the United States, India, and Mexico, despite differences in confounding structures.
The pooled association between adult child education and parental cognitive functioning was about 1/3–1/4 of the association with respondent's own years of education.
Heterogeneity in gender differences point to the potential effects of local culture and context.

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成年子女教育与老年父母认知功能的关系：不同背景下的跨国比较

成年子女受教育程度与年长父母认知健康之间的关系可能在不同背景下有所不同，但由于结果评估、研究设计和分析选择的差异，跨国比较受到限制。

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来源期刊

Alzheimer's & Dementia 医学-临床神经学

CiteScore

14.50

自引率

5.00%

发文量

299

审稿时长

3 months

期刊介绍： Alzheimer's & Dementia is a peer-reviewed journal that aims to bridge knowledge gaps in dementia research by covering the entire spectrum, from basic science to clinical trials to social and behavioral investigations. It provides a platform for rapid communication of new findings and ideas, optimal translation of research into practical applications, increasing knowledge across diverse disciplines for early detection, diagnosis, and intervention, and identifying promising new research directions. In July 2008, Alzheimer's & Dementia was accepted for indexing by MEDLINE, recognizing its scientific merit and contribution to Alzheimer's research.