Social Relationships in Early Life and Episodic Memory in Mid- and Late Life

Perceived social support and early adolescents’ achievement: The mediational roles of motivational beliefs and emotions

Zhenmei Zhang, Hongwei Xu, Lydia W Li, Jinyu Liu, Seung-won Emily Choi and Deborah S Carr

The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 2021, vol. 76, issue 10, 2121-2130

Abstract: ObjectivesThis study examines the longitudinal relationships between retrospective reports of early-life social relationships (i.e., having good friends, parent–child relationship quality, and childhood neighborhood social cohesion) and episodic memory in China.MethodsWe analyzed 2 waves of data (2011 and 2015) from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. The analytical sample included 9,285 respondents aged 45 and older at baseline. A lagged dependent variable approach was used to estimate the associations between measures of early-life social relationships and episodic memory change at the study’s 4-year follow-up.ResultsRetrospective reports of better early-life social relationships are significantly associated with higher levels of episodic memory performance in 2015 among middle-aged and older Chinese, controlling for episodic memory in 2011, childhood socioeconomic status, adulthood sociodemographic variables, and the history of stroke. Educational attainment accounts for a significant portion of the associations between early-life social relationships and episodic memory. In contrast, mental health and social engagement in adulthood account for a small part of these associations.DiscussionThe findings suggest that positive early-life social relationships are beneficial for episodic memory in mid- and late life, and more research is needed to examine the underlying mechanisms.

Keywords: Childhood; China; Cognition; Friends; Parent–child relationship (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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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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