Life Course Patterns of Work History and Cognitive Trajectories Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Prior research indicated that diverse work experiences in early and middle life stages are associated with cognitive function in later life. However, whether life course patterns of work history are associated with later life cognitive function in China remains unknown.

Data were derived from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, and 5,800 participants aged 60 years or older were included. We used sequence analysis to identify the work history patterns between ages 18 and 60. Growth curve modeling was performed to evaluate how the work-history patterns are associated with global and domain-specific (i.e., mental intactness and episodic memory) cognitive function.

We identified 8 work patterns, distinguished by duration, transitions, timing, and sequence of work history. Compared with individuals exposed to lifelong agricultural work, those engaged in lifelong nonagricultural employed work had better cognitive function in later life and experienced slower rates of cognitive decline in both global cognitive function and the mental intactness domain. In addition, individuals who shifted from agricultural to nonagricultural employed work early (around age 30) had better global cognitive function in later life, whereas the association was not significant for such a transition later (around age 50).

Our study highlights the importance of the duration, sequence, and timing of transitions in work history for cognitive health among older Chinese. Future interventions and policies aimed at improving cognitive function should fully consider the cumulative and dynamic nature of work from a life course perspective.