Sex differences in the association between occupational environment exposures and cognitive function outcomes in later life

Qiuchang (Katy) Cao, Dawn C Carr, Melissa Radey and Kenzie Latham-Mintus

The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 2026, vol. 81, issue 3, gbaf263.

Abstract: ObjectivesSex differences in later-life cognitive function have been shown to be partially related to the over- and under-representation of male and female workers in different types of occupations. However, another important factor that has not been systematically evaluated is whether cognitive benefits or consequences of specific occupational exposures differ by sex. Our study addresses this knowledge gap.MethodsThis study uses longitudinal data drawn from the Health and Retirement Study linked to occupational data based on the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) database. We examined two established composite occupational exposure measures shown to influence cognitive function: occupational complexity and occupational hazards. Ordinary least squares regression models were used to evaluate whether the association between occupational exposures and late-life cognitive function was dependent on sex, including when accounting for early-life factors.ResultsSex moderated the association between occupational exposures and later-life cognitive function. Specifically, older men—but not women—experienced both significant cognitive benefits in association with occupational complexity (Δy/Δx = 0.06, p

Keywords: Health and Retirement Study; Occupational Information Network database; moderation analysis; cognitive reserve theory; scaffolding theory of aging and cognition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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