TY - JOUR
T1 - An exploration of neighborhood characteristics, psychosocial resilience resources, and cognitive functioning among midlife and older black adults
AU - Farmer, Heather R.
AU - Thierry, Amy D.
AU - Sherman-Wilkins, Kyler
AU - Thorpe, Roland J.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - Objectives: While existing research has shown that Black adults have worse cognitive functioning than their White counterparts, the psychosocial correlates of cognitive functioning for Black older adults are understudied. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationships among perceived neighborhood characteristics, psychosocial resilience resources, and cognitive functioning among midlife and older Black adults. Methods: Data were from 3,191 Black adults ages 51+ in the 2008–2016 waves of the Health and Retirement Study to examine associations among neighborhood characteristics, psychosocial resilience (sense of purpose, mastery, and social support), and cognitive functioning among Black adults. Multilevel linear regression models assessed direct effects of neighborhood characteristics and psychosocial resources on cognitive functioning. We then tested whether psychosocial resources moderated the association between neighborhood characteristics and cognitive functioning. Results: Mean levels of cognitive functioning, sense of purpose, social support, and mastery were significantly related to neighborhood disorder and discohesion. Regression results showed that levels of neighborhood disorder and high discohesion were significantly associated with cognitive functioning. Sense of purpose was positively associated with cognitive functioning, net of neighborhood characteristics. However, only social support moderated the association between neighborhood discohesion and cognition. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate the importance of examining psychosocial and contextual risk and resilience resources among midlife and older Black adults. This work may inform the development of cognitive behavioral interventions aimed at increasing sense of purpose to promote and enhance cognitive resiliency among Black adults. Altogether, this work may have implications for policy aimed at advancing cognitive health equity.
AB - Objectives: While existing research has shown that Black adults have worse cognitive functioning than their White counterparts, the psychosocial correlates of cognitive functioning for Black older adults are understudied. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationships among perceived neighborhood characteristics, psychosocial resilience resources, and cognitive functioning among midlife and older Black adults. Methods: Data were from 3,191 Black adults ages 51+ in the 2008–2016 waves of the Health and Retirement Study to examine associations among neighborhood characteristics, psychosocial resilience (sense of purpose, mastery, and social support), and cognitive functioning among Black adults. Multilevel linear regression models assessed direct effects of neighborhood characteristics and psychosocial resources on cognitive functioning. We then tested whether psychosocial resources moderated the association between neighborhood characteristics and cognitive functioning. Results: Mean levels of cognitive functioning, sense of purpose, social support, and mastery were significantly related to neighborhood disorder and discohesion. Regression results showed that levels of neighborhood disorder and high discohesion were significantly associated with cognitive functioning. Sense of purpose was positively associated with cognitive functioning, net of neighborhood characteristics. However, only social support moderated the association between neighborhood discohesion and cognition. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate the importance of examining psychosocial and contextual risk and resilience resources among midlife and older Black adults. This work may inform the development of cognitive behavioral interventions aimed at increasing sense of purpose to promote and enhance cognitive resiliency among Black adults. Altogether, this work may have implications for policy aimed at advancing cognitive health equity.
KW - Cognition
KW - Health and Retirement Study
KW - Minority aging
KW - Neighborhoods
KW - Psychosocial resilience
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U2 - 10.1080/13557858.2024.2369871
DO - 10.1080/13557858.2024.2369871
M3 - Article
C2 - 38932579
AN - SCOPUS:85197274918
SN - 1355-7858
VL - 29
SP - 597
EP - 619
JO - Ethnicity and Health
JF - Ethnicity and Health
IS - 6
ER -