Poster | Poster Session 08 Program Schedule
02/16/2024
01:45 pm - 03:00 pm
Room: Majestic Complex (Posters 61-120)
Poster Session 08: Cognition | Cognitive Reserve Variables
Final Abstract #70
Associations Between Subjective Socioeconomic Status and Cognition in Racially and Ethnically Diverse Middle-Aged Adults
Foysal Uddin, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York City, United States A. Kraal, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York City, United States Justina Avila-Rieger, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York City, United States Adam Brickman, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York City, United States Jennifer Manly, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York City, United States
Category: Cross Cultural Neuropsychology/ Clinical Cultural Neuroscience
Keyword 1: cognitive functioning
Keyword 2: demographic effects on test performance
Keyword 3: ethnicity
Objective:
While objective socioeconomic status (OSES) indicators such as education are predictive of cognition in early life and late-life, subjective SES (SSES) captures psychological experiences of SES such as perceived status relative to others in one’s community or country. Previous studies found an association between SSES-community and cognition, but associations between SSES-country and cognition are underdeveloped. Additionally, prior studies were conducted in samples of older adults, and in the U.S. with predominantly Non-Latiné (NL) White participants. Indeed, patterns of association in mid-life adults are not well understood and may be stronger, as later-life cognition is more strongly related to risk factors measured in mid-life than in later-life. Furthermore, patterns of association in minoritized racial and ethnic groups, such as Black and Latiné, may be different from those in NL-White participants due to historical and contemporary sources of oppression that shape OSES and SSES. In the current study, we examined the extent to which SSES-community and SSES-U.S. was associated with cognition independent of OSES across NL-White, NL-Black, and Latiné middle-aged adults.
Participants and Methods:
Participants were 1937 middle-aged community-dwelling adults (mean age=56.5, SD=11.1; 66.7% women; 13.1% NL-White, 18.9% NL-Black, 68.0% Latiné) from the Offspring Study in New York City. Tests of episodic memory (Selective Reminding Test, Immediate and Delayed Recall) and verbal fluency (Animal Fluency Test) were administered. SSES was determined by the MacArthur Scale of Subjective Social Status, which measures one’s perceived social standing relative to others (community and the United States; possible range: 1-10). OSES was self-reported years of education. Linear regression estimated the associations between the two SSES variables and cognitive domains, in models stratified by race, ethnicity, and language of test administration, adjusting for age, sex/gender, and OSES.
Results:
In NL-White participants, SSES-community was positively associated with Total Recall (B=1.26, SE=0.47, 95% CI: [0.34, 2.18]), Delayed Recall (B=0.31, SE=0.12, 95% CI: [0.08, 0.54]) and Animal Fluency (B=0.72, SE=0.27, 95% CI: [0.20, 1.25]), independent of age, sex, and OSES. A similar pattern of associations was observed for SSES-U.S. (Bs=0.25 to 1.33, SEs=0.12 to 0.47). SSES was not associated with cognition in NL-Black and Latiné participants. On average, NL-Black and Latiné participants reported lower levels of SSES compared with NL-White participants (mean differences: 0.5 to 2.0, ps <0.01).
Conclusions:
Independent of OSES, the positive association between SSES and cognition was present for NL-White participants, but not NL-Black and Latiné participants. Tangible resources (e.g., education) play a greater role in cognition for NL-Black and Latiné adults than intangible resources such as perceived social status. White privilege may allow NL-White to experience the psychological and social benefits that potentially confers cognitive benefits, independent of OSES. Future research should explore the biopsychosocial mechanisms related to SSES, which may inform equitable cognitive health interventions.
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