Harvard University, Center for Population and Development Studies, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Universidad de los Andes, Escuela de Gobierno Alberto Lleras Camargo, Bogotá, Colombia.
J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2018 Apr 16;73(4):744-754. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbx035.
Workers approaching retirement may be particularly vulnerable to economic downturns. This study assesses whether exposure to economic downturns around retirement age leads to poorer cognitive function in later life.
Longitudinal data for 13,577 individuals in the Health and Retirement Study were linked to unemployment rates in state of residence. Random- and fixed-effect models were used to examine whether downturns at 55-64 years of age were associated with cognitive functioning levels and decline at ≥65 years, measured by the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised.
Longer exposure to downturns at 55-64 years of age was associated with lower levels of cognitive function at ≥65 years. Compared to individuals experiencing only up to 1 year in a downturn at 55-64 years of age, individuals experiencing two downturns at these ages had 0.09 point (95% Confidence Interval [CI, -0.17, -0.02]) lower cognitive functioning scores at ≥65 years (3 years: b = -0.17, 95%CI [-0.29, -0.06]; 4 years: b = -0.14, 95%CI [-0.25, -0.02]; ≥5 years: b = -0.22, 95%CI [-0.38, -0.06]). Downturns at 55-64 years of age were not associated with rates of cognitive decline.
Exposure to downturns around retirement is associated with a long-lasting decline in cognitive function in later life. Policies mitigating the impact of downturns on older workers may help to maintain cognitive function in later life.
即将退休的工人可能特别容易受到经济衰退的影响。本研究评估了退休年龄前后的经济衰退是否会导致晚年认知功能下降。
将健康与退休研究中的 13577 个人的纵向数据与居住州的失业率相关联。使用随机效应和固定效应模型来检验 55-64 岁时的衰退是否与认知功能水平和≥65 岁时的认知功能下降有关，通过韦氏成人智力量表修订版来衡量。
55-64 岁时暴露于衰退期时间更长与≥65 岁时的认知功能水平较低相关。与在 55-64 岁期间仅经历长达 1 年衰退的个体相比，在这些年龄经历两次衰退的个体在≥65 岁时的认知功能评分低 0.09 分（95%置信区间[CI]，-0.17，-0.02）（3 年：b=-0.17，95%CI[-0.29，-0.06]；4 年：b=-0.14，95%CI[-0.25，-0.02]；≥5 年：b=-0.22，95%CI[-0.38，-0.06]）。55-64 岁的衰退与认知衰退率无关。
退休前后的衰退与晚年认知功能的长期下降有关。减轻衰退对老年工人影响的政策可能有助于维持晚年的认知功能。
