Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the relationships between mid-life employment trajectory (ages 31–50) and later-life cognitive performance (ages 50–78) in the PSID from 1968 to 2016 (N=2521). Sequence analysis was used to identify prototypical employment trajectories, combining employment status and high vs. lower job skill level at each year of age from 31–50 years. Adjusted logistic regression was used to estimate the relationships between employment trajectory, duration of high-skill employment, and performance on each of four cognitive tests of quantitative reasoning, verbal reasoning, health literacy, and financial literacy. Two prototypical employment trajectories were identified, representing 20 years of high-skill employment (26%; 646/2521), and 20 years of lower-skill employment (74%; 1875/2521). Employment trajectory was not significantly associated with the cognitive outcomes, although positive dose-response relationships were observed between duration of high-skill employment and verbal and quantitative reasoning scores, each plateauing after four cumulative years of high-skill employment.
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