Department of Human Development and Family Science, University of Missouri, Columbia.
Department of Family Science and Social Work, University of Miami, Oxford, Ohio.
J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2018 Mar 2;73(3):522-531. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbx110.
The present study examines the association between formal volunteering and cognitive functioning over time. We also examine the moderating roles of race, sex, education, and time.
Using 11,100 participants aged 51 years and older and nine waves of data from the Health and Retirement Survey, we simultaneously modeled the longitudinal associations between engaging in formal volunteering and changes in cognitive functioning using multilevel models.
Formal volunteering was associated with higher levels of cognitive functioning over time, especially with aspects of cognitive functioning related to working memory and processing. This association was stronger for women than it was for men, and for those with below average levels of education. The positive association between formal volunteering and cognitive functioning weakened over time when cognitive functioning was conceptualized as memory, but strengthened over time when conceptualized as working memory and processing.
Volunteering is a productive activity that is beneficial not just to society, but to volunteers' levels of cognitive functioning in older age. For women and those with lower levels of education, formal volunteering appears particularly beneficial to working memory and processing.
本研究考察了正式志愿服务与随时间推移的认知功能之间的关联。我们还检验了种族、性别、教育和时间的调节作用。
利用来自健康与退休调查的 11100 名年龄在 51 岁及以上的参与者和 9 波数据，我们使用多层次模型同时对参与正式志愿服务与认知功能变化之间的纵向关联进行建模。
正式志愿服务与随时间推移的认知功能较高有关，尤其是与工作记忆和处理相关的认知功能方面。这种关联在女性中比男性更强，在受教育程度低于平均水平的人群中更强。当认知功能被概念化为记忆时，正式志愿服务与认知功能之间的正相关关系随着时间的推移而减弱，但当认知功能被概念化为工作记忆和处理时，这种关系随着时间的推移而增强。
志愿服务是一种有益的活动，不仅对社会有益，而且对老年人的认知功能水平也有益。对于女性和受教育程度较低的人来说，正式志愿服务对工作记忆和处理似乎特别有益。
