Multifaceted Demands of Work and Cognitive Functioning: Findings From the Health and Retirement Study

Complexity of work and risk of Alzheimer’s dementia: A population-based study of Swedish twins

Yeonjung Jane Lee, Ernest Gonzales and Ross Andel

The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 2022, vol. 77, issue 2, 351-361

Abstract: ObjectivesThe present study examines the associations between mental, social, and physical demands of work and cognitive functioning among older adults in the United States.MethodData from 3,176 respondents in the Health and Retirement Study were analyzed using growth curve modeling (2004–2014). The study investigated differences by gender, race, ethnicity, and education.ResultsHigher mental and social demands of work were associated with higher levels of initial cognitive functioning, but were not significantly associated with slower cognitive decline over time. Physical demands of work were negatively associated with initial cognitive functioning and were also marginally associated with a slower rate of decline in cognitive functioning going into older adulthood. In stratified analyses, results varied by sociodemographic characteristics.DiscussionThe results partially support the environmental complexity hypothesis and the productive aging framework in that higher mental and social demands and lower physical demands relate to better cognitive functioning at baseline, with the differences appearing stable throughout older adulthood. The stratified results shed light on addressing disparities in cognitive aging and work environments.

Keywords: Cognition; Employment and older workers; Quantitative methods; Work complexity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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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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