IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/socmed/v343y2024ics0277953624000479.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A national longitudinal dyadic analysis of spousal education and cognitive decline in the United States

Author

Listed:
  • Liu, Hui
  • Chopik, William J.
  • Shrout, M. Rosie
  • Wang, Juwen

Abstract

Education plays a significant role in shaping cognitive functioning throughout an individual's life. However, existing research has not adequately explored how the educational attainment of the spouse can impact cognitive functioning over time. This study presents one of the first longitudinal analyses of how spousal education is linked to cognitive trajectories of each member within couples during their later life in the United States. Guided by the linked lives perspective, we analyze data from 8370 couples in the Health and Retirement Study spanning from 2000 to 2018. Results from the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) integrated with latent growth curve models reveal that cognitive trajectories exhibit a correlation between spouses over time. Moreover, our analysis uncovers gender-specific effects of spousal education on cognition, shedding light on the underlying mechanisms driving this connection. Notably, the lower educational attainment of husbands is associated with a faster cognitive decline in both themselves and their wives. This association is partially explained by economic resources, but not by health and social behaviors. The lower educational attainment of wives is linked to their own faster cognitive decline as well as lower initial cognitive levels of their husbands, in part via economic resources. However, wives' educational attainment is largely unrelated to their husbands' cognitive decline. Intriguingly, wives' education has a more pronounced impact on the health and social behaviors of their husbands than vice versa, although these health and social behaviors do not appear to influence husbands' cognitive decline. In conclusion, these results underscore the importance of considering spousal education in comprehending the complexities of cognitive decline within dyadic relationships.

Suggested Citation

  • Liu, Hui & Chopik, William J. & Shrout, M. Rosie & Wang, Juwen, 2024. "A national longitudinal dyadic analysis of spousal education and cognitive decline in the United States," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 343(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:343:y:2024:i:c:s0277953624000479
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.116603
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953624000479
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.116603?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Guo, Rufei & Lin, Lin & Yi, Junjian & Zhang, Junsen, 2020. "The cross-spousal effect of education on health," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    2. Benham, Lee, 1974. "Benefits of Women's Education within Marriage," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 82(2), pages 57-71, Part II, .
    3. Mark D Hayward & Mateo P Farina & Yuan S Zhang & Jung Ki Kim & Eileen M Crimmins & Deborah S Carr, 2021. "The Importance of Improving Educational Attainment for Dementia Prevalence Trends From 2000 to 2014, Among Older Non-Hispanic Black and White Americans [Contribution of education, occupation and co," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 76(9), pages 1870-1879.
    4. Christiane A. Hoppmann & Denis Gerstorf & Mary Luszcz, 2008. "Spousal Social Activity Trajectories in the Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing in the Context of Cognitive, Physical, and Affective Resources," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 63(1), pages 41-50.
    5. Chong Huang & Hongbin Li & Pak Wai Liu & Junsen Zhang, 2009. "Why Does Spousal Education Matter for Earnings? Assortative Mating and Cross-Productivity," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 27(4), pages 633-652, October.
    6. Xiangfei Meng & Carl D’Arcy, 2012. "Education and Dementia in the Context of the Cognitive Reserve Hypothesis: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analyses and Qualitative Analyses," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(6), pages 1-16, June.
    7. Hui Liu & Ning Hsieh & Zhenmei Zhang & Yan Zhang & Kenneth M Langa & Deborah S Carr, 2021. "Same-Sex Couples and Cognitive Impairment: Evidence From the Health and Retirement Study," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 76(7), pages 1388-1399.
    8. María-Victoria Zunzunegui & Beatriz E. Alvarado & Teodoro Del Ser & Angel Otero, 2003. "Social Networks, Social Integration, and Social Engagement Determine Cognitive Decline in Community-Dwelling Spanish Older Adults," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 58(2), pages 93-100.
    9. Hui Liu & Zhenmei Zhang & Seung-won Choi & Kenneth M Langa & Deborah Carr, 2020. "Marital Status and Dementia: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 75(8), pages 1783-1795.
    10. Lee Benham, 1974. "Benefits of Women's Education within Marriage," NBER Chapters, in: Marriage, Family, Human Capital, and Fertility, pages 57-75, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    11. Thomas Bauer & Silja Göhlmann & Mathias Sinning, 2007. "Gender differences in smoking behavior," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 16(9), pages 895-909, September.
    12. HwaJung ChoiPhD & Robert F SchoeniPhD & Linda G MartinPhD & Kenneth M LangaMD, PhD, 2018. "Trends in the Prevalence and Disparity in Cognitive Limitations of Americans 55–69 Years Old," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 73(suppl_1), pages 29-37.
    13. Lee Benham, 1974. "Benefits of Women's Education within Marriage," NBER Chapters, in: Economics of the Family: Marriage, Children, and Human Capital, pages 375-394, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    14. James Banks & Elaine Kelly & James P. Smith, 2014. "Spousal Health Effects: The Role of Selection," NBER Chapters, in: Discoveries in the Economics of Aging, pages 255-279, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    15. Dustin Brown & Robert Hummer & Mark Hayward, 2014. "The Importance of Spousal Education for the Self-Rated Health of Married Adults in the United States," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 33(1), pages 127-151, February.
    16. Jaffe, Dena H. & Eisenbach, Zvi & Neumark, Yehuda D. & Manor, Orly, 2006. "Effects of husbands' and wives' education on each other's mortality," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 62(8), pages 2014-2023, April.
    17. Eileen M. Crimmins & Jung Ki Kim & Kenneth M. Langa & David R. Weir, 2011. "Assessment of Cognition Using Surveys and Neuropsychological Assessment: The Health and Retirement Study and the Aging, Demographics, and Memory Study," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 66(suppl_1), pages 162-171.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Eiji Yamamura & Yukichi Mano, 2012. "An Investigation into the Positive Effect of an Educated Wife on Her Husband’s Earnings: The Case of Japan in the Period between 2000 and 2003," International Advances in Economic Research, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 18(4), pages 409-416, November.
    2. Yamamura, Eiji, 2013. "Externality of young children on parents’ watching of anime: Evidence from Japanese micro data," MPRA Paper 46878, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Martin Dribe & Paul Nystedt, 2013. "Educational Homogamy and Gender-Specific Earnings: Sweden, 1990–2009," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 50(4), pages 1197-1216, August.
    4. Nicholas A. Jolly, 2019. "Female Earnings and the Returns to Spousal Education Over Time," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 40(4), pages 691-709, December.
    5. Lazear, Edward P, 1977. "Education: Consumption or Production?," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 85(3), pages 569-597, June.
    6. Basu, Kaushik & Narayan, Ambar & Ravallion, Martin, 1999. "Is knowledge shared within households?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2261, The World Bank.
    7. Claudia D. Goldin & Donald O. Parsons, 1981. "Economic Well-Being and Child Labor: The Inter action of Family and Industry," NBER Working Papers 0707, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. Parsons, Donald O, 1977. "Health, Family Structure, and Labor Supply," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 67(4), pages 703-712, September.
    9. Madeline Zavodny, 2008. "Is there a ‘marriage premium’ for gay men?," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 6(4), pages 369-389, December.
    10. Chong Huang & Hongbin Li & Pak Wai Liu & Junsen Zhang, 2009. "Why Does Spousal Education Matter for Earnings? Assortative Mating and Cross-Productivity," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 27(4), pages 633-652, October.
    11. Tokunaga, Mutsumi & Hashimoto, Hideki, 2017. "The socioeconomic within-gender gap in informal caregiving among middle-aged women: Evidence from a Japanese nationwide survey," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 48-53.
    12. Åström, Johanna, 2011. "The Effects of Spousal Education on Individual Earnings – A Study of Married Swedish Couples," HUI Working Papers 32, HUI Research.
    13. Åström, Johanna, 2009. "The Effects of Assortative Mating on Earnings: Human Capital Spillover or Specialization?," HUI Working Papers 34, HUI Research.
    14. Mohammad Niaz Asadullah, 2006. "Returns to Education in Bangladesh," Education Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(4), pages 453-468.
    15. Basu, Kaushik & Narayan, Ambar & Ravallion, Martin, 2001. "Is literacy shared within households? Theory and evidence for Bangladesh," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 8(6), pages 649-665, December.
    16. Elisabetta Lazzaro & Carlofilippo Frateschi, 2008. "Attendance to cultural events and spousal influences: the Italian case," "Marco Fanno" Working Papers 0084, Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche "Marco Fanno".
    17. B. Wolfe & S. Zuvekas, "undated". "Nonmarket outcomes of schooling," Institute for Research on Poverty Discussion Papers 1065-95, University of Wisconsin Institute for Research on Poverty.
    18. Francesconi, Marco & Brynin, Malcolm, 2002. "The material returns to partnership: the effects of educational matching on labour market outcomes and gender equality," ISER Working Paper Series 2002-23, Institute for Social and Economic Research.
    19. Claudia Goldin, 1995. "Career and Family: College Women Look to the Past," NBER Working Papers 5188, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    20. Mohammad Niaz Asadullah (SKOPE, Department of Economics), "undated". "Returns to Education in Bangladesh," QEH Working Papers qehwps130, Queen Elizabeth House, University of Oxford.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:343:y:2024:i:c:s0277953624000479. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/315/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.