Social relations, cognitive health disparities and COVID‐19 stress

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundThe prevalence and incidence of COVID‐19 was higher among racial/ethnic minority groups in the U.S. (APM Research Lab, 2020), but stressor types, resilience, and impacts on cognitive health are unknown. Economic and socioemotional stress each affect health and contribute to racial/ethnic health disparities (Sternthal, et al., 2011). Further, changes in stress and social relations influence cognitive decline (Dickinson et al., 2011; VonDras et al., 2005). However, it is unclear if associations are similar across racial/ethnic groups.MethodParticipants in the recently completed U.S. based Detroit Area Wellness Network COVID‐19 Supplement (DAWN‐CS) project (N = 606) were recruited from a longitudinal cohort study (i.e., Social Relations Study; Antonucci & Akiyama, 1994), supplemented by address‐based and respondent‐driven sampling to obtain a racially/ethnically balanced sample of Middle Eastern/Arab (MENA), Black, and White older adults (aged 65+). Eligible persons (aged 65+) within screened households were selected with probability to allow appropriate inference to the target population. Inclusion criteria for DAWN‐CS were: age 65+, fluency in English or Arabic, and identifying as MENA, Black, or White. Participants were administered psychosocial questionnaires and cognitive measures via telephone. Global cognition was a latent variable indicated by episodic memory, language, attention, and working memory tests.ResultOlder adults who saw their network members more frequently during the COVID‐19 pandemic reported more economic stress and demonstrated worse cognitive health. Within‐group analyses showed unique patterns: only among Black older adults was there an association between more contact frequency and higher economic stress. Further, the association between economic stress and worse cognitive health was evident among MENA and White older adults, but not Black older adults. Pandemic‐related socioemotional stress (e.g., conflict with family and friends) did not vary by race/ethnicity and was not associated with contact frequency during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Further analyses examine whether social relations buffered the effects of pandemic‐related economic stress on cognitive health.ConclusionIncluding underrepresented populations in the study of social relations, stress and cognitive health advances science and addresses societal health in its entirety. Strengths of this study include its racially/ethnically balanced sample, which improved the power and validity of racial/ethnic group comparisons.