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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Mental Health
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1396620
This article is part of the Research Topic Exploring Mental Health in Vulnerable Populations in Developing Countries View all 18 articles

Role of Intergenerational Support in Cognitive Aging: Evidence from a Chinese Longitudinal Study

Provisionally accepted
Shanshan Hu Shanshan Hu 1,2Jingjing Ge Jingjing Ge 3Minglei Fang Minglei Fang 1,4Jingjing Yang Jingjing Yang 1,4*
  • 1 College of Public Health, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, Chongqing Municipality, China
  • 2 Research Center for Medicine and Social Development, School of Public Health and Management, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
  • 3 College of Humanities and Management, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guizhou, China
  • 4 Research Center for Medicine and Social Development, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Objective: To explore the impact of intergenerational connections on cognitive function in middle-aged and older adults (45-60 years and over 60 years, respectively) and analyze the urban-rural and sex differences in the effects of intergenerational connections on cognitive function.: Based on China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study data (CHARLS), this study conducted ID matching for four waves of data from 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2018. Cognitive function was measured via telephone interviews testing cognitive status modified (TICS-m), word recall, and imitation drawing. Using a combination of cross-sectional and longitudinal research, we constructed a cross-lagged panel model (CLPM) with a sample of 1,480 participants to explore the relationship between intergenerational connection and cognitive function. Results: This study examines the impact of intergenerational connections on cognitive function in middle-aged (45-60 years) and older adults (over 60 years) using data from the CHARLS. It identifies urban-rural and sex differences, with notable effects among rural female participants. The frequency of meeting with one child negatively predicts cognitive function (β = -0.040, p = 0.041), and the frequency of communication with one child positively predicts cognitive function (β = 0.102, 0.068, 0.041, p < 0.001, p = 0.001, 0.045). Meanwhile, intergenerational connections with multiple children positively predicts cognitive function (β = 0.044, p = 0.031), (β = 0.128, 0.084, and 0.056, p < 0.001, 0.001, p = 0.008). There are urban-rural and sex differences in the effects of intergenerational connection on cognitive function; additionally, the effects of intergenerational connection on cognitive function are more significant in rural female middleaged and older adults.Discussion: This study proposes the theory of skewed intergenerational support, which suggests that as middle-aged and older adults age, the responsibility for intergenerational support is skewed toward one child. This leads to conflicts between middle-aged and older parents and the child, which further affects cognitive function.

    Keywords: CHARLS, Cross-lagged panel model, Intergenerational support, Intergenerational connection, Cognitive Function, longitudinal research, Middle-aged and elderly people, Rural China

    Received: 06 Mar 2024; Accepted: 22 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Hu, Ge, Fang and Yang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Jingjing Yang, College of Public Health, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, Chongqing Municipality, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.