Spousal education and cognitive trajectories among Chinese couples: a Longitudinal Actor–Partner Interdependence Model analysis

Yu Guo, Zhenmei Zhang, Philip J Pettis and Quanbao Jiang

The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 2026, vol. 81, issue 1, gbaf229.

Abstract: ObjectivesAlthough prior research consistently demonstrates a positive association between education and cognitive functioning at the individual level, the role of spousal education in shaping cognitive trajectories is less understood. This study examines the associations between spousal education and cognitive trajectories among middle-aged and older couples in China.MethodsDrawing on 5 waves (2011–2020) of data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, we applied Longitudinal Actor–Partner Interdependence modeling to assess whether and how spousal education is associated with cognitive trajectories among 5,816 couples aged 45 and older in China. We further examined 3 potential mediating pathways: household economic resources, health behaviors and status, and social engagement.ResultsHigher spousal education was associated with higher baseline cognitive functioning for both spouses, independent of each person’s own education. This association was primarily mediated by household economic resources and partially by sleep duration, self-rated health, and social engagement. Spousal education was not significantly associated with the rate of cognitive decline.DiscussionThese findings suggest that spousal education is linked to baseline cognitive functioning through economic, behavioral, and social pathways, but it is not associated with the rate of cognitive decline. These patterns underscore the importance of dyadic resources for cognitive health in aging Chinese populations.

Keywords: Cognition; Marriage; Dyadic analysis; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/geronb/gbaf229 (application/pdf)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:oup:geronb:v:81:y:2026:i:1:p:gbaf229.

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://academic.oup.com/journals

Access Statistics for this article

The Journals of Gerontology: Series B is currently edited by Psychological Sciences - S. Duke Han, PhD and Social Sciences - Jessica A Kelley, PhD, FGSA

More articles in The Journals of Gerontology: Series B from The Gerontological Society of America Oxford University Press, Great Clarendon Street, Oxford OX2 6DP, UK.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Oxford University Press ().