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Stressful Life Events and Racial Disparities in Cognition Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults.
- Source :
- Journal of Alzheimer's Disease; 2020, Vol. 73 Issue 2, p671-682, 12p
- Publication Year :
- 2020
-
Abstract
- <bold>Background: </bold>It is well-documented that African Americans have elevated risk for cognitive impairment and dementia in late life, but reasons for the racial disparities remain unknown. Stress processes have been linked to premature age-related morbidity, including Alzheimer's and related dementias (ADRD), and plausibly contribute to social disparities in cognitive aging.<bold>Objective: </bold>We examined the relationship between stressful life events and cognitive decline among African American and White participants enrolled in the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer's Prevention (WRAP).<bold>Methods: </bold>Linear mixed models including demographic, literacy, and health-related covariates were used to estimate (1) relationships between a life event index score and decline in cognitive test performance in two domains of executive function (Speed & Flexibility, Working Memory) and one domain of episodic memory (Verbal Learning & Memory) among 1,241 WRAP enrollees, stratified by race, and (2) contributions of stressful life events to racial differences in cognition within the full sample.<bold>Results: </bold>African Americans (Nā=ā50) reported more stressful life events than Whites (Nā=ā1,191). Higher stress scores associated with poorer Speed & Flexibility performance in both groups, though not with declines across time, and partially explained racial differentials in this domain. Among African Americans only, stressor exposure also associated with age-related decline in Verbal Learning & Memory. Stressor-cognition relationships were independent of literacy and health-related variables.<bold>Conclusions: </bold>Greater lifetime stress predicted poorer later-life cognition, and, in a small sample of African Americans, faster declines in a key domain of episodic memory. These preliminary findings suggest that future work in large minority aging cohorts should explore stress as an important source of modifiable, socially-rooted risk for impairment and ADRD in African Americans, who are disproportionately exposed to adverse experiences across the life course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- LIFE change events
MIDDLE-aged persons
OLDER people
EPISODIC memory
VERBAL learning
COGNITION disorders
COGNITIVE Abilities Test
MEMORY
EXECUTIVE function
RESEARCH
RESEARCH methodology
ACQUISITION of data
REGRESSION analysis
EVALUATION research
MEDICAL cooperation
NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL tests
COMPARATIVE studies
RESEARCH funding
ETHNIC groups
PSYCHOLOGICAL stress
LONGITUDINAL method
PSYCHOLOGICAL factors
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 13872877
- Volume :
- 73
- Issue :
- 2
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Journal of Alzheimer's Disease
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 141338549
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.3233/JAD-190439