INS NYC 2024 Program

Poster	Poster Session 11 Program Schedule 02/17/2024 10:45 am - 12:00 pm Room: Shubert Complex (Posters 1-60) Poster Session 11: Cultural Neuropsychology \| Education/Training \| Professional Practice Issues Final Abstract #41 Cognitive Decline in Older Women: Examining the Intersections of Employment Duration and Race and Ethnicity Daya Grewal, Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, United States Molly Patapoff, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, United States Victoria Liou-Johnson, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, United States Maheen Adamson, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, United States Dylan Jester, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, United States Category: Cross Cultural Neuropsychology/ Clinical Cultural Neuroscience Keyword 1: cognitive reserve Keyword 2: minority issues Keyword 3: cognitive functioning Objective: This study investigated the relationship between years of employment and cognitive health among older Black, Latinx, and White women. Existing literature has suggested that occupation type, neighborhood environment, and socioeconomic status significantly influence cognitive trajectories. Recognizing that historically marginalized racial and ethnic groups might face compounded stressors from gender norms, workplace discrimination, and caregiving expectations, we focused on understanding the relationships among duration of employment, racial and ethnic identity, and cognitive performance in older women. We hypothesized that the interaction of employment duration and time (i.e., rate of change) would differ by race and ethnicity. . Furthermore, we hypothesized that women who had never been formally employed (i.e., 0 years of work experience) would exhibit a pronounced cognitive decline. Participants and Methods: Our study included 5,664 older adult women from the Health and Retirement Study (2010–2016) aged 65–101 (M = 75.41). 4,339 participants identified as non-Latinx White, 850 identified as non-Latinx Black, and 475 identified as Latinx women. Furthermore, 5,292 women indicated having a professional employment history of at least one year, whereas 372 women reported no formal work experience. The Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status-27 (TICS-27) was used to assess cognitive performance. The TICS-27 allocates 20 points to short-term and long-term memory and 7 points to processing speed and executive functions. Linear mixed effects models with a random intercept were conducted to assess whether duration of employment was associated with the rate of cognitive decline. Models were stratified by race and ethnicity (non-Latinx Black, Latinx, and non-Latinx White) and included the following covariates: age, education, body mass index, household income, and number of chronic comorbidities. Results: In all three racial and ethnic groups, lower age, higher education, greater number of years worked, fewer chronic conditions, and greater household income positively affected cognitive performance at baseline (p.05). In the full sample, on average, women who had not worked in any formal capacity had a lower baseline cognitive performance (p<.001) and a more extreme decline in cognitive performance over time (p=.04). Conclusions: In conclusion, our first hypothesis was not substantiated. The rate of change in cognitive performance was not moderated by the number of years worked, nor did the interaction differ in Black, Latinx, or White older women. However, we found that women without any formal work experience performed lower at baseline and experienced a steeper cognitive decline over time. These findings underscore the need to further explore the complex interrelationships between employment duration and cognitive trajectories, especially among older women and those from different racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Poster

02/17/2024
10:45 am - 12:00 pm
Room: Shubert Complex (Posters 1-60)

Poster Session 11: Cultural Neuropsychology | Education/Training | Professional Practice Issues

Final Abstract #41

Cognitive Decline in Older Women: Examining the Intersections of Employment Duration and Race and Ethnicity

Daya Grewal, Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, United States
Molly Patapoff, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, United States
Victoria Liou-Johnson, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, United States
Maheen Adamson, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, United States
Dylan Jester, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, United States

Category: Cross Cultural Neuropsychology/ Clinical Cultural Neuroscience

Keyword 1: cognitive reserve
Keyword 2: minority issues
Keyword 3: cognitive functioning

Objective:

This study investigated the relationship between years of employment and cognitive health among older Black, Latinx, and White women. Existing literature has suggested that occupation type, neighborhood environment, and socioeconomic status significantly influence cognitive trajectories. Recognizing that historically marginalized racial and ethnic groups might face compounded stressors from gender norms, workplace discrimination, and caregiving expectations, we focused on understanding the relationships among duration of employment, racial and ethnic identity, and cognitive performance in older women. We hypothesized that the interaction of employment duration and time (i.e., rate of change) would differ by race and ethnicity. . Furthermore, we hypothesized that women who had never been formally employed (i.e., 0 years of work experience) would exhibit a pronounced cognitive decline.

Participants and Methods:

Our study included 5,664 older adult women from the Health and Retirement Study (2010–2016) aged 65–101 (M = 75.41). 4,339 participants identified as non-Latinx White, 850 identified as non-Latinx Black, and 475 identified as Latinx women. Furthermore, 5,292 women indicated having a professional employment history of at least one year, whereas 372 women reported no formal work experience.

The Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status-27 (TICS-27) was used to assess cognitive performance. The TICS-27 allocates 20 points to short-term and long-term memory and 7 points to processing speed and executive functions. Linear mixed effects models with a random intercept were conducted to assess whether duration of employment was associated with the rate of cognitive decline. Models were stratified by race and ethnicity (non-Latinx Black, Latinx, and non-Latinx White) and included the following covariates: age, education, body mass index, household income, and number of chronic comorbidities.

Results:

In all three racial and ethnic groups, lower age, higher education, greater number of years worked, fewer chronic conditions, and greater household income positively affected cognitive performance at baseline (p.05). In the full sample, on average, women who had not worked in any formal capacity had a lower baseline cognitive performance (p<.001) and a more extreme decline in cognitive performance over time (p=.04).

Conclusions:

In conclusion, our first hypothesis was not substantiated. The rate of change in cognitive performance was not moderated by the number of years worked, nor did the interaction differ in Black, Latinx, or White older women. However, we found that women without any formal work experience performed lower at baseline and experienced a steeper cognitive decline over time. These findings underscore the need to further explore the complex interrelationships between employment duration and cognitive trajectories, especially among older women and those from different racial and ethnic backgrounds.