Aim: Although poor childhood rearing environment is known to negatively impact late-life cognitive function, there is a scarcity of evidence on the contribution of positive parenting behaviors. The present study investigates the association between parental involvement in childhood and late-life cognitive function.
Methods: A total of 266 older adults aged between 65 and 88 years living in Wakuya City, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, without indication of mild cognitive impairment or dementia, participated in a survey. Parental involvement in childhood was assessed by a questionnaire, and late-life cognitive function was measured by the Japanese version of the Quick Mild Cognitive Impairment (QMCI) screening test (range: 0-100). Multiple regression analysis was performed to investigate the association, adjusting for potential confounders and mediators.
Results: After adjusting for age, sex, other child-rearing environment, and academic performance in grade 6, older adults with a high level of positive parental involvement in childhood scored 6.00 (95% CI: 2.39, 9.61) points higher for the QMCI total score than those without. Parental involvement in childhood showed significant dose-response positive associations with the QMCI total score (P < 0.001), clock-drawing test score (P < 0.05), and verbal fluency score (P < 0.001). Among the six types of positive parental involvement, book reading showed a significant independent positive association with QMCI total score (P < 0.01) and logical memory score (P < 0.01).
Conclusions: Greater parental involvement in childhood, particularly book reading, was associated with better late-life cognitive function. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2021; 21: 794-801.
Keywords: childhood parental involvement; cognitive function; life-course epidemiology.
© 2021 Japan Geriatrics Society.