Turrell Gavin, Lynch John W, Kaplan George A, Everson Susan A, Helkala Eeva-Liisa, Kauhanen Jussi, Salonen Jukka T
School of Public Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia.
J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2002 Jan;57(1):S43-51. doi: 10.1093/geronb/57.1.s43.
To examine the influence of childhood and adult socioeconomic position, socioeconomic mobility, and cumulative disadvantage across the lifecourse on cognitive function in late middle age.
Cross-sectional population-based study of 486 men age 58 and 64 from eastern Finland. Respondent's socioeconomic position in childhood was measured using parent's education and occupation, and respondent's position in adulthood was indicated by attained education and personal income. Cognitive function was assessed using five neuropsychological tests: Trail Making, Selective Reminding, Verbal Fluency, Visual Reproduction, and the Mini-Mental State Exam.
Each indicator of socioeconomic position made statistically independent contributions to levels of cognitive function: Respondents from poor childhood backgrounds, and those who attained a limited education and earned a low income, performed worst on each test. Men who occupied a disadvantaged socioeconomic position in childhood and then experienced upward mobility over the lifecourse exhibited better cognitive performance than those with similar socioeconomic origins but limited or no upward mobility. Conversely, men from advantaged childhood backgrounds who later in life experienced downward mobility scored poorer on each cognitive test than their counterparts who remained in the most advantaged groups throughout the lifecourse. There was a strong, graded association between cumulative socioeconomic disadvantage and cognitive function: Men who occupied a low socioeconomic position during both childhood and adulthood scored worse on every test than those who occupied a high position at all points in their lives.
Socioeconomic conditions across all stages of the lifecourse appear to make unique contributions to cognitive function in late middle age. These results also suggest that in terms of cognitive function, origin is not necessarily destiny, as disadvantaged socioeconomic circumstances in childhood may be overcome to some extent by upward mobility later in life.
探讨儿童期和成年期社会经济地位、社会经济流动性以及一生中累积的不利因素对中年后期认知功能的影响。
对来自芬兰东部的486名58岁和64岁男性进行基于人群的横断面研究。用父母的教育程度和职业衡量受访者儿童期的社会经济地位，用获得的教育程度和个人收入表明受访者成年期的地位。使用五项神经心理学测试评估认知功能：连线测验、选择性回忆测验、语言流畅性测验、视觉再现测验和简易精神状态检查表。
社会经济地位的各项指标对认知功能水平均有统计学上的独立贡献：儿童期背景较差、教育程度有限且收入较低的受访者在每项测试中表现最差。儿童期社会经济地位不利但在一生中经历了向上流动的男性，其认知表现优于具有相似社会经济背景但向上流动有限或没有向上流动的男性。相反，儿童期背景优越但在成年后经历了向下流动的男性，在每项认知测试中的得分都比那些在一生中始终处于最优越群体的男性要低。社会经济累积不利因素与认知功能之间存在强烈的分级关联：儿童期和成年期社会经济地位都较低的男性在每项测试中的得分都比那些在人生各个阶段都处于较高地位的男性更差。
生命历程各阶段的社会经济状况似乎对中年后期的认知功能有独特贡献。这些结果还表明，就认知功能而言，出身不一定决定命运，因为儿童期不利的社会经济状况在一定程度上可能会被成年后向上的社会流动所克服。
