Adulthood Earnings Trajectory and 10-year Memory Decline: Findings from Administrative Earnings Data

TL;DR

Higher earnings during adulthood are linked to slower memory decline in older age, according to a study using financial and health data.

Contribution

This study identifies a dose-response relationship between lifelong earnings trajectories and memory decline in older adults.

Findings

Participants with the highest earnings had the slowest memory decline in older age.

Men in the earliest birth cohort with increasing high earnings had a slower annual memory decline compared to those with low earnings.

The association between earnings and memory decline followed a dose-response pattern.

Abstract

Financial resources are associated with cognitive functioning in older age, but prior studies do not characterize the dynamic trajectory of lifecourse financial status. Here, we examine the relationship between adulthood earnings trajectories and memory decline in older age using data from Health and Retirement Study participants linked to Social Security Administration earnings records. We included participants with any earnings data when 25 to 59 years old and ≥1 memory assessment on/after age 59 (N = 10,566). Memory was assessed using immediate and delayed 10-word recall or, for those unable to complete these tests, a proxy’s interview. We categorized age 25-59 earnings using group-based trajectory modeling, separately for each birth cohort and gender. Using confounder-adjusted linear mixed models, we examined the association of earnings trajectory with 10-year memory decline. The median age at first memory assessment was 60 (IQR: 59-62) years. Across birth cohorts and gender, participants with the highest earnings over adulthood had the slowest decline in memory. For example, among men in the earliest birth cohort (1931-1941), those with high initial earnings that increased over time had an annual rate of memory decline of -0.029 standard units (95% CI: -0.032, -0.026). In comparison, those who maintained low earnings experienced faster declines (βLowxTime = -0.012, 95% CI: -0.016, -0.007), corresponding to an annual rate of decline of -0.041 standard units (95% CI: -0.044, -0.037) Associations generally followed a dose-response pattern. These findings add to the growing literature showing relationships between financial resources and cognition. More work is needed to identify underlying mechanisms.