JOB STRAIN AND COGNITIVE DECLINE IN THE PUERTO RICAN ELDERLY: HEALTH CONDITIONS STUDY

Abstract

Over the life course, most people spend a great amount of time at work, making work environment a highly likely player in late-life health and cognitive outcomes. We tested whether indicators of work-related stress (job strain; measured as job demands/job control) in main lifetime occupation were related to cognitive decline, measured with two assessments with the Mini-Mental Caban 4 years apart, among 1,105 60+ adults (mean age=70 ± 7 years, 52% female) from the Puerto Rican Elderly: Health Conditions (PREHCO) study. Controlling for age, sex, depressive symptoms, and childhood economic hardship, greater job strain was related to greater cognitive decline (β=-.20, SE=.07, p=.005). Although childhood economic hardship did not moderate this relationship, years in main occupation did (β=-.02, SE=.01, p=.01), indicating that more years in occupation magnified the association between job strain and cognitive decline. Prolonged exposure to job strain may accelerate cognitive decline among older Puerto Ricans.