The Association Between Spousal Education and Cognitive Ability Among Older Mexican Adults

Joseph L SaenzPhD, Christopher R BeamPhD, Elizabeth M ZelinskiPhD and Anna ZajacovaPhD

The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 2020, vol. 75, issue 7, e129-e140

Abstract: ObjectivesEducation and cognition are closely associated, yet the role of spousal education is not well understood. We estimate the independent effects of own and spousal education on cognitive ability in late-life in Mexico, a developing country experiencing rapid aging.MethodWe analyzed 4,017 married dyads (age 50+) from the 2012 Mexican Health and Aging Study. Cognitive ability for married adults was a factor score from a single factor model. Using seemingly unrelated regression, we test whether spousal education influences older adults’ cognitive ability, whether associations are explained by couple-level socioeconomic position, health and health behaviors, and social support, and whether associations differed by gender.ResultsEducation and cognitive ability were correlated within couples. Higher spousal education was associated with better cognitive ability. Associations between spousal education and cognitive ability were independent of own education, did not differ by gender, and remained significant even after adjustment for couple-level socioeconomic position, health and health behaviors, and perceived social support.DiscussionIn addition to own education, spousal education was associated with better cognitive ability, even at relatively low levels of education. We discuss the possibility that spousal education may improve cognition via transmission of knowledge and mutually reinforcing cognitively stimulating environments.

Keywords: Aging; Cognition; Latin America; Marriage; Schooling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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The Journals of Gerontology: Series B is currently edited by Psychological Sciences - S. Duke Han, PhD and Social Sciences - Jessica A Kelley, PhD, FGSA

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