Disparate benefits of higher childhood socioeconomic status on cognition in young adulthood by intersectional social positions

Citation

Reynolds, Addam; Greenfield, Emily A.; & Nepomnyaschy, Lenna (2024). Disparate benefits of higher childhood socioeconomic status on cognition in young adulthood by intersectional social positions. Advances in Life Course Research. vol. 60

Abstract

Objectives: Emerging evidence supports the protective effects of higher childhood socioeconomic status (cSES) on cognition over the life course. However, less understood is if higher cSES confers benefits equally across intersecting social positions. Guided by a situational intersectionality perspective and the theory of Minority Diminished Returns (MDR), this study examined the extent to which associations between cSES and cognition in young adulthood are jointly moderated by racialized identity and region of childhood residence. Methods: Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), we used multilevel modeling to test associations between cSES and delayed recall and working memory 14 years later when participants were ages 25–34. Further, we examined the influence of racialized identity and region of childhood residence on these associations.
Results: Higher cSES was associated with higher delayed recall and working memory scores across social positions. However, the strength of the association between higher cSES and working memory differed across racialized subgroups and region of childhood residence. We found a statistically significant three-way interaction between cSES, race and region of childhood residence. Of particular important, a small yet statistically robust association was found in all groups, but was especially strong among White Southerners and especially weak among Black participants from the South.
Conclusions: This study contributes to a growing body of research indicating that the protective effects of higher cSES on cognition are not universal across subgroups of intersecting social positions, consistent with the theory of MDR. These findings provide evidence for the importance of considering the role of systemic racism across geographic contexts as part of initiatives to promote equity in life course cognitive aging and brain health.

URL

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcr.2024.100608

Keyword(s)

Cognition

Reference Type

Journal Article

Journal Title

Advances in Life Course Research

Author(s)

Reynolds, Addam
Greenfield, Emily A.
Nepomnyaschy, Lenna

Year Published

2024

Volume Number

60

Edition

June 01, 2024

ISSN/ISBN

1569-4909

DOI

10.1016/j.alcr.2024.100608

Reference ID

10364