Later-life trajectories of cognitive functioning among immigrants of Mexican origin: implications of age at immigration and social resources

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objective. This study examines age-at-immigration disparities in later-life trajectories of cognitive functioning among immigrant men and women of Mexican descent. This study also considers the role of socioeconomic resources, family status, and church attendance in these disparities. Methods. This study draws on eight waves of the Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly and employs growth curve models. This study distinguished between immigrants who moved from Mexico to the U.S. in early life (before age 19), midlife (between ages 20 and 49; reference category), and late life (beyond age 50). The analyses were conducted separately for men and women. The final analytic sample consisted of 2,030 repeated observations from 639 men and 2,883 observations from 884 women. Results. Compared to midlife immigration, late-life immigration was associated with lower cognitive functioning at baseline among both men and women, whereas early- as well as late-life immigration was related to faster cognitive decline over time only among men. Adjusting for socioeconomic resources reduced cognitive disadvantages among late-life immigrants, regardless of gender. Family status also partially accounted for poorer cognitive functioning among late-life immigrant women. Conclusion. This study demonstrates that later-life cognitive functioning among immigrant men and women of Mexican descent might be contingent on age at immigration. By highlighting the importance of individuals’ social resources for overall cognitive functioning and for age-at-immigration disparities, this study also suggests that social programs and interventions to improve cognitive health in this population group should address later-life disadvantages related to low educational attainment, being unmarried, and less frequent religious participation.