Later Life Course Causal Dynamics of Work and Health: The Case of Cognitive Functioning

• In Event: 20826 - Aging and the Life Course

Abstract

This study examines how continued work participation shapes cognitive functioning in later adulthood, emphasizing the timing, duration, and reciprocal nature of these causal processes through a life course framework. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a nationally representative longitudinal survey of U.S. adults aged 50 and older, we adopt advanced causal estimation methods—marginal structural models, structural nested models, and a Bayesian model comparison algorithm—to disentangle causal pathways between work engagement and cognitive outcomes. Our outcome is a 27-point cognitive scale capturing memory, working memory, and processing speed, while our key predictor is work participation (not employed, part-time, full-time, or fully retired). Preliminary findings indicate that continued work participation in later adulthood has positive effects on cognitive functioning. The protective effects of work appear to strengthen with age, particularly for individuals in non-managerial or non-professional jobs. We also find evidence of reciprocity, as cognitive functioning influences the likelihood of remaining employed. By modeling time-varying confounders and comparing multiple model specifications, we capture both average and individual-specific effects, highlighting how work participation in one’s 50s may affect cognitive status well into the 70s. These results have important implications for public policy and organizational practices, particularly as an aging society grapples with extended work lives and mounting concerns about cognitive decline.

Authors

• Xiaowen Han, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

• Phyllis Moen, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities