Social engagement and its links to cognition differ across non-Hispanic Black and White older adults.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Racial inequalities in dementia have been linked to disparities in socioeconomic status, chronic diseases, and psychosocial stress. Less focus has been given to psychosocial protective factors. Previous studies suggest that social engagement promotes better cognitive aging, but few have examined whether social engagement or its associations with cognition vary across non-Hispanic Whites (NHW) and Blacks (NHB).

Method

Participants included 465 adults (53% NHB) from the Michigan Cognitive Aging Project (M_age = 63.59 ± 3.15) who completed a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. Social engagement was operationalized as network size, frequency of social activity participation, and social support. Cognition was operationalized using factor scores co

SUBMITTER: Hamlin AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10034713 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature