Job Loss and Early-onset Dementia Risk in Middle-aged Adults: A Longitudinal Study

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Public Health
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Early-onset dementia affects working-age individuals, presenting a significant public health challenge.
• Investigating the link between job loss and dementia in middle-aged populations is crucial for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the association between job loss and the incidence of early-onset dementia in middle-aged adults in the Republic of Korea.
• To identify specific demographic and socioeconomic factors that may modify this association.

Main Methods:

• Utilized National Health Insurance Service data from the Republic of Korea for employed individuals aged 45-54.
• Defined early job loss as involuntary unemployment within two years of a 2011 index date.
• Employed Cox proportional hazards models to calculate adjusted hazard ratios for incident dementia, identified via ICD-10 codes and medication use.

Main Results:

• A large cohort study (n=1,130,665) found job loss significantly associated with increased early-onset dementia risk in both males (aHR: 1.75) and females (aHR: 1.51).
• Higher dementia risk was observed in low-income individuals, males under 50, females over 50, and those in the primary industrial sector.
• The study followed participants for over 14 years, identifying 3,748 incident dementia cases.

Conclusions:

• Job loss is a significant risk factor for early-onset dementia, particularly in males.
• Socioeconomic status and industry type are important factors influencing dementia risk following job loss.