Adult children's educational attainment and the cognitive trajectories of older parents in South Korea

Abstract

Little is known about whether and how adult children's educational resources are associated with aging parents' cognitive changes over time. Using a nationally representative survey from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (2006-2014), the current study examined three related questions: whether adult children's education is independently associated with parents' latent trajectory classes of cognitive functioning; whether this association is explained by behavioral, psychological, and financial pathways; and whether the association varies by the gender of the child. Adult children's education is negatively associated with the unfavorable cognitive functioning trajectories of parents. Children's education predicts parents' higher perceived life satisfaction and upward financial transfers, which are some of the pathways through which children's education appears to prevent subsequent cognitive impairment in parents. Sons' education matters more for preventing the onset of dementia, and daughters' educational resources are linked to the prevention of cognitive decline among parents.

Keywords: Aging; Cognitive functioning; Education; Gender; Intergenerational.