Do benefits of own education for cognition differ by parental education? Influence of intergenerational educational trajectories and cognitive performance in the Kaiser Healthy Aging and Diverse Life Experiences (KHANDLE) cohort

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundLittle is known about the influence of parental education on late life cognition or whether parental education modifies the association between own education and cognitive outcomes. Parental education influences own educational access/attainment as well as early cognitive environments and resources (social, financial capital) known to affect health. We investigated whether benefits of own education differed by parental education using intergenerational education trajectories.MethodsThe Kaiser Healthy Aging and Diverse Life Experiences (KHANDLE) cohort is a diverse sample (approximately equal White, African‐American, Asian, and Latinx) of long‐term members of a managed care organization; cognitive domains of verbal episodic memory, semantic memory, and executive functioning were obtained using the Spanish and English Neuropsychological Assessment Scales (SENAS). Parental education (low defined as either parent with <9 years of schooling) and own education (low defined <college degree; includes some college) were reported by 1,633 participants. Intergenerational education was categorized as stable low (reference), low‐high, high‐low, and stable high. Cognitive domains were analyzed as a z‐score composite and as independent domains using linear mixed models adjusting for age, gender, race, and nativity; potential effect heterogeneity was evaluated as interactions between educational trajectories and (1) SENAS domains, (2) race/ethnicity, (3) gender.ResultsAll participants with high own education had higher average cognitive scores than those with low own education; those with low‐high trajectories had higher average cognitive scores (B̂=0.33; 95% CI: 0.23, 0.42) than those with stable high trajectories (B̂=0.19; 95% CI: 0.09, 0.29). Those with high‐low trajectories had lower average cognitive scores (B̂=‐0.16; 95% CI: ‐0.25, ‐0.07) than those with stable low trajectories. Effect sizes but not overall patterns differed by cognitive domain (p<.0001) and gender (p=0.0097); there was no evidence of effect heterogeneity by race (interaction P‐value=0.6691).ConclusionOwn education was associated with late‐life cognition across all levels of parental education. Effect estimates were largest for an upward trajectory of intergenerational education with similar patterns across cognitive domains. Education may open cognitively beneficial opportunities for individuals with low parental education indicating the importance of supporting college entry/completion, though this may reflect the selection process of individuals who complete college despite low parental education.