Cognition and Wealth Changes in Mid-to-later Life: A Latent Class Trajectories Approach Using the Health and Retirement Study

Ashly C Westrick; Darlingtina K Esiaka; Helen C S Meier; Ronica N Rooks; Mark Manning; Wassim Tarraf

doi:10.1177/08982643241232003

Cognition and Wealth Changes in Mid-to-later Life: A Latent Class Trajectories Approach Using the Health and Retirement Study

J Aging Health. 2024 Feb 14:8982643241232003. doi: 10.1177/08982643241232003. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Ashly C Westrick¹, Darlingtina K Esiaka², Helen C S Meier³, Ronica N Rooks⁴, Mark Manning⁵, Wassim Tarraf⁶

Affiliations

¹ Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health, Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
² Center for Health Equity Transformation, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY, USA.
³ Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
⁴ Department of Health and Behavioral Sciences, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO, USA.
⁵ Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA.
⁶ Institute of Gerontology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA.

PMID: 38356174
DOI: 10.1177/08982643241232003

Abstract

ObjectivesTo assess how cognitive trajectories from mid-to-later life relate to wealth change, overall and by mid-life income. Methods: Data were from participants (51-64 years) in the 2000-2018 U.S. Health and Retirement Study who were cognitively healthy at baseline (year 2000; unweighted n = 3821). Longitudinal latent class analyses generated cognitive and wealth trajectories, independently, and multinomial logistic regressions estimated the association between cognitive trajectories and wealth profiles, overall and by median income. Results: We identified three cognitive: cognitively healthy (CH), increasing cognitive impairment (ICI), and increasing dementia (ID) and four wealth profiles: stable wealth loss (SWL), delayed gradual wealth loss (DGWL), stable wealth gain (SWG), and gradual wealth gain (GWG). The ID group had higher probability of being in the SWL group and lower probability of SWG, which was more pronounced in respondents with greater median income. Discussion: Individuals with ID may be vulnerable to wealth loss, particularly for middle-class households.

Keywords: aging; cognition; income; socioeconomic status; wealth.