재미 한인 노인 부부들의 인지자원과 인지기능

Abstract

Cognitive function is an important component of successful aging, facilitating independent living and affecting quality of life in later life, but less is known whether individuals' cognitive resources and cognitive function are interrelated within couples. Using a sample of 252 older Korean immigrant couples (individual N = 504), we examined the extent to which one's cognitive function was associated with one's own cognitive resources (education, acculturation, friend networks, and participation in activities) and those of one's spouse. Analyses based on the actor-partner interdependence model showed differences in actor and partner effects between spouses. Among husbands, acculturation was the only significant actor-level predictor of cognitive function. Among wives, cognitive function was associated with a wider array of their own cognitive resources, including education, friend networks, and participation in activities. No partner effects were observed for wives' cognitive function, but for husbands, partner effects showed wives' higher education was beneficial for husbands' cognitive function. It is speculated that women's education may promote the cognitive function of their spouses via cognitively stimulating conversations and activities of daily life. These findings highlight the importance of considering the gendered cognitive resources in older immigrant couples cognitive health.