INS NYC 2024 Program

Poster	Poster Session 08 Program Schedule 02/16/2024 01:45 pm - 03:00 pm Room: Shubert Complex (Posters 1-60) Poster Session 08: Cognition \| Cognitive Reserve Variables Final Abstract #33 The Role of Education in Moderating the Relation Between Social Support and Memory in an Ethno-Racially Diverse Sample of Older Adults Kharine Jean, Georgia State University, Atlanta, United States Vonetta Dotson, Georgia State University, Atlanta, United States Category: Aging Keyword 1: memory: normal Keyword 2: aging (normal) Keyword 3: ethnicity Objective: Positive psychosocial factors, such as social support, are very important for older adults’ social, emotional, and cognitive health. Findings have suggested that low social support might be related to poorer cognition in older adults. In contrast, increased years of education has typically been related to better brain and cognitive health. However, some findings suggest that for individuals from historically marginalized groups, higher education may be related to increased exposure and/or awareness of discrimination and racism. Given the use of social support systems to help cope with life adversities and experiences of discrimination and the possible increased exposure to discrimination in groups with postsecondary education, the goal of this study is to examine the relation between social support and memory performance, and whether education moderates this relation within an ethnoracially diverse sample of older adults. Participants and Methods: This study included 486 Hispanic, 285 Black, and 795 Non-Hispanic White participants from the Health and Aging Brain Study: Health Disparities (HABS-HD). Participants had a mean age of 72 (SD = 5.6), were 59% female, and had an average of 13 years of education (SD = 4.6). Data collection included neuropsychological testing, interview questions about social support, and demographic information including years of education. Hayes’ Process macro model 1 was used to run a moderation analysis, with social support as the independent variable, education as the moderator, memory performance as the dependent variable, and age included as a covariate. Then, subgroup analyses were done to examine the model across the three ethnoracial groups. Results: The overall model was significant and explained 18% of the variance in memory performance (R²= 0.18, p < .001). There was a significant interaction between social support and education (p = 0.014). Further examination of the interaction revealed that the strength of the relation between social support and memory was greater at higher education levels. Subgroup analyses revealed that while education and social support remained significant predictors of memory performance, for Black and White older adults, there was no interaction between social support and education (p = 0.54, p = 0.55, respectively). For Hispanic older adults, the interaction was non-significant (p = 0.09) but examination of the conditional effect of social support on memory performance indicated that at lower levels of education, there was no relation between social support and memory performance (p = 0.96), but at greater levels of education level, the relation between social support and memory performance was stronger (p = 0.02). Conclusions: Our study found that the relation between social support and memory may be strengthened with higher education for certain ethnoracial groups. More specifically, Hispanic older adults with lower levels of education may not see a strong relation between social support and memory performance, but at higher education levels, the relation is stronger. This indirectly suggests social support may be important to combat any potential negative effects of higher education’s increased exposure/awareness to inequalities and its effect on memory, particularly in Hispanic older adults.

Poster

02/16/2024
01:45 pm - 03:00 pm
Room: Shubert Complex (Posters 1-60)

Poster Session 08: Cognition | Cognitive Reserve Variables

Final Abstract #33

The Role of Education in Moderating the Relation Between Social Support and Memory in an Ethno-Racially Diverse Sample of Older Adults

Kharine Jean, Georgia State University, Atlanta, United States
Vonetta Dotson, Georgia State University, Atlanta, United States

Category: Aging

Keyword 1: memory: normal
Keyword 2: aging (normal)
Keyword 3: ethnicity

Objective:

Positive psychosocial factors, such as social support, are very important for older adults’ social, emotional, and cognitive health. Findings have suggested that low social support might be related to poorer cognition in older adults. In contrast, increased years of education has typically been related to better brain and cognitive health. However, some findings suggest that for individuals from historically marginalized groups, higher education may be related to increased exposure and/or awareness of discrimination and racism. Given the use of social support systems to help cope with life adversities and experiences of discrimination and the possible increased exposure to discrimination in groups with postsecondary education, the goal of this study is to examine the relation between social support and memory performance, and whether education moderates this relation within an ethnoracially diverse sample of older adults.

Participants and Methods:

This study included 486 Hispanic, 285 Black, and 795 Non-Hispanic White participants from the Health and Aging Brain Study: Health Disparities (HABS-HD). Participants had a mean age of 72 (SD = 5.6), were 59% female, and had an average of 13 years of education (SD = 4.6). Data collection included neuropsychological testing, interview questions about social support, and demographic information including years of education. Hayes’ Process macro model 1 was used to run a moderation analysis, with social support as the independent variable, education as the moderator, memory performance as the dependent variable, and age included as a covariate. Then, subgroup analyses were done to examine the model across the three ethnoracial groups.

Results:

The overall model was significant and explained 18% of the variance in memory performance (R²= 0.18, p < .001). There was a significant interaction between social support and education (p = 0.014). Further examination of the interaction revealed that the strength of the relation between social support and memory was greater at higher education levels. Subgroup analyses revealed that while education and social support remained significant predictors of memory performance, for Black and White older adults, there was no interaction between social support and education (p = 0.54, p = 0.55, respectively). For Hispanic older adults, the interaction was non-significant (p = 0.09) but examination of the conditional effect of social support on memory performance indicated that at lower levels of education, there was no relation between social support and memory performance (p = 0.96), but at greater levels of education level, the relation between social support and memory performance was stronger (p = 0.02).

Conclusions:

Our study found that the relation between social support and memory may be strengthened with higher education for certain ethnoracial groups. More specifically, Hispanic older adults with lower levels of education may not see a strong relation between social support and memory performance, but at higher education levels, the relation is stronger. This indirectly suggests social support may be important to combat any potential negative effects of higher education’s increased exposure/awareness to inequalities and its effect on memory, particularly in Hispanic older adults.