Department of Human Development and Family Science, University of Missouri, 102 Gwynn Hall, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA.
Department of Counseling, Human Development and Family Science, University of Vermont, 201 Mann Hall, 208 Colchester Ave, Burlington, VT, 05401, USA.
Soc Sci Med. 2024 Oct;359:117267. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.117267. Epub 2024 Aug 27.
This meta-analysis aimed to quantify the association between childhood SEP and later-life cognitive functioning and identify possible moderators.
We conducted random-effects meta-analyses of 39 reports, contributing 49 independent subsamples from 229,824 respondents. Moderators were analyzed using meta-regression and subgroup analyses.
There was a small, positive correlation between childhood socioeconomic position (SEP) and cognitive functioning in older adulthood across the overall summary effect (r = 0.161), global cognitive functioning (r = 0.183), verbal episodic memory (r = 0.148), verbal fluency (r = 0.196), and processing speed (r = 0.130), but not inhibition (r = 0.058). An older mean sample age was linked with a weaker correlation for the overall summary effect and verbal episodic memory. Higher sample education was a significant moderator for verbal episodic memory only, such that the association between childhood SEP and verbal episodic memory was weaker at higher levels of education. Across all domains, mother's education was more strongly linked with cognitive functioning than other SEP constructs were. There was no significant moderation by gender, national income inequality, study design (whether prospective or retrospective), or the age of the childhood SEP measure (ages 0-4 or 9-15). Minimal publication bias was present.
The socioeconomic conditions of one's childhood are related to cognitive performance in older adulthood. Policymakers should consider legislation and programs to improve circumstances for low-income children and families, particularly those that increase women's educational access, as targets for improving cognitive outcomes in later life.
本荟萃分析旨在量化儿童社会经济地位（SEP）与晚年认知功能之间的关联，并确定可能的调节因素。
我们对 39 项报告进行了随机效应荟萃分析，共有来自 229824 名受访者的 49 个独立亚组。使用荟萃回归和亚组分析来分析调节因素。
在总体综合效应（r=0.161）、整体认知功能（r=0.183）、言语情节记忆（r=0.148）、言语流畅性（r=0.196）和处理速度（r=0.130）方面，儿童时期的社会经济地位与晚年认知功能之间存在微弱的正相关，但在抑制方面没有（r=0.058）。样本平均年龄较大与总体综合效应和言语情节记忆的相关性较弱有关。较高的样本教育水平是言语情节记忆的一个显著调节因素，表明儿童时期的社会经济地位与言语情节记忆之间的关联在教育水平较高时较弱。在所有领域，母亲的教育与认知功能的关联都比其他社会经济地位结构更强。性别、国家收入不平等、研究设计（前瞻性或回顾性）或儿童时期社会经济地位测量的年龄（0-4 岁或 9-15 岁）均无显著调节作用。存在轻微的出版偏倚。
一个人童年时期的社会经济状况与其成年后认知表现有关。政策制定者应考虑立法和计划，以改善低收入儿童和家庭的环境，特别是那些增加妇女受教育机会的计划，作为改善晚年认知结果的目标。
