Abstract

Objectives

This study aims to examine the relationship between childhood socioeconomic position (SEP) and cognitive function in later life within nationally representative samples of older adults in the United States and England, investigate whether these effects are mediated by later-life SEP, and determine whether social mobility from childhood to adulthood affects cognitive function and decline.

Method

Using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and the English Longitudinal Survey of Ageing (ELSA), we examined the relationships between measures of SEP, cognitive performance and decline using individual growth curve models.

Results

High childhood SEP was associated with higher cognitive performance at baseline in both cohorts and did not affect the rate of decline. This benefit dissipated after adjusting for education and adult wealth in the United States. Respondents with low childhood SEP, above median education, and high adult SEP had better cognitive performance at baseline than respondents with a similar childhood background and less upward mobility in both countries.

Discussion

These findings emphasize the impact of childhood SEP on cognitive trajectories among older adults. Upward mobility may partially compensate for disadvantage early in life but does not protect against cognitive decline.

中文翻译：

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童年社会经济地位和社会流动性对老年人认知功能和变化的影响：美国和英国的比较

摘要

目标

本研究旨在检验美国和英国具有全国代表性的老年人样本中儿童社会经济地位 (SEP) 与晚年认知功能之间的关系，调查这些影响是否由晚年 SEP 介导，并确定社会是否从童年到成年的流动性影响认知功能和衰退。

方法

使用来自健康和退休研究 (HRS) 和英国老龄化纵向调查 (ELSA) 的数据，我们使用个体生长曲线模型检查了 SEP、认知表现和衰退之间的关系。

结果

在两个队列中，较高的儿童 SEP 与基线时较高的认知表现相关，并且不影响下降率。在对美国的教育和成人财富进行调整后，这种好处就消失了。在这两个国家，童年 SEP 较低、教育程度高于中位数和成人 SEP 较高的受访者在基线时的认知表现优于童年背景相似且向上流动较少的受访者。

讨论

这些发现强调了儿童 SEP 对老年人认知轨迹的影响。向上流动可以部分弥补生命早期的劣势，但不能防止认知能力下降。