Racial and Ethnic Differences in Community Belonging and its Impact on Cognitive Function in Older Adults
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12442540 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Samuel Nemeth (0009-0007-9090-0115, Department of Health Behavior, Society, and Policy, Rutgers University School of Public Health , Piscataway, New Jersey), P A Thomas (0000-0002-5699-9779, Department of Sociology, Purdue University , West Lafayette, Indiana ,), Cassidy M Stoddart (Department of Health Policy and Management, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health , New York, New York), Kenneth F Ferraro (0000-0003-3692-5235, Department of Sociology, Purdue University , West Lafayette, Indiana ,) |
| Editors | Kenzie Latham-Mintus (0000-0003-1018-0693, (Social Sciences Section)) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 80 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Publication date | 2025-02-15 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Journals of Gerontology Series B (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1079-5014 • E-ISSN: 1758-5368 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1093/geronb/gbaf028 |
| PMID | 39953971 |
| OpenAlex | W4407602913 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 51 |
Objectives This study adds to the literature on the relationship between social relationships and cognitive function by using social integration theory to examine whether a sense of community belonging at different ages is related to cognitive function in later life. We also examine whether the relationship between community belonging, and cognitive function is distinct among White, Black, and Hispanic older adults. Methods Using data from the Health and Retirement Study including the 2017 Life History Mail Survey (N = 3,302), we use parallel measures of community belonging across 3 periods in the life course. We estimated relationships using ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and lagged dependent variable models. Results Respondents who experienced greater community belonging at age 10 and during later life (i.e., age in 2016) had higher levels of cognitive function in 2018 than those who reported feeling less belonging with their community at those ages (b = 0.193, p < .001; b = 0.090, p < .05, respectively). The main effects of community belonging at any age were not related to change in cognitive function from 2016 to 2018; however, there were significant interaction effects between community belonging at age 10 on cognitive function in 2018 and from 2016 to 2018 (p < .05 and p < .01, respectively) with the beneficial effects of community belonging at age 10 being stronger for Black older adults compared with White older adults. Discussion These findings highlight the importance of early and later life community belonging for the cognitive functioning of older adults, and particularly for Black older adults’ cognitive function
Cognition · Cognitive decline · Dementia · Developmental psychology · Disease · Ethnic group · Feeling · Health and Retirement Study · Sociology · Young adult · Aging and Gerontology Research · Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research · Health disparities and outcomes · Medicine · Psychology · Demography · Gerontology · Social Psychology
Social Epidemiology
Relationships in Time and the Life Course
Aging and Cumulative Inequality
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Racial/Ethnic and Nativity Differences in Cognitive Life Expectancies Among Older Adults in the United States
Inequalities in dementia incidence between six racial and ethnic groups over 14 years
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Perceived Neighborhood Characteristics and Cognitive Functioning among Diverse Older Adults
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The Relationship of Neighborhood Climate to Perceived Social Support and Mental Health in Older Hispanic Immigrants in Miami, Florida
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Disparities Among Older Adults in Measures of Cognitive Function by Race or Ethnicity
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The Effects of Selective Survival on Black Adults’ Cognitive Development
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Social Well-Being
Healthier, Wealthier, and Wiser
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The Life Course as Developmental Theory
Time, Human Agency, and Social Change
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Religion and Health among Black and White Adults
Race, Gender, and Chains of Disadvantage
Trajectories of Social Engagement and Limitations in Late Life
Social Relationships and Health
Stress, Health, and the Life Course
Transforming wealth
| Highly cited | No |
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