Bidirectional longitudinal associations of family/friend social support with cognitive function in late life
Xinfang Yu, Patricia A Thomas, Anqi Chen, Shannon AngAbstract
Objectives
This study examines the bidirectional relationships between social support (family vs. friend) and cognitive function among older Chinese adults, and whether these associations differ by source of support and by urban and rural settings.
Methods
Data were from three waves (2014, 2016, and 2018) of the Chinese Longitudinal Aging Social Survey (N = 2,700; mean age = 68). Dynamic panel models with fixed effects (ML-SEM) were applied to examine the reciprocal relationships between social support and cognitive function and determine whether these associations are moderated by hukou status (rural versus urban).
Results
In the overall sample, higher levels of friend support but not family support predicted subsequent cognitive function. In contrast, influences from cognitive function on subsequent family or friend support were not detected. However, hukou status moderated these associations. Both family and friend support promoted enhanced cognitive function only among rural older adults. Conversely, cognitive function was positively associated with subsequent family support among urban older adults but negatively associated among rural older adults.
Discussion
The results provide evidence for the social benefit and health selection mechanisms that operate in source-specific (family, friend) and context-specific (rural, urban) ways in China. These findings also indicate the need to consider the cultural norms and structural context when examining the bidirectionality of social support and cognitive function in later life.