Trajectories of Parent-Child Relationship Quality and Cognitive Function among Older Adults: Differences between Mothers and Fathers

Vollständiger Abstract

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Abstract The present study examined heterogeneity in trajectories of positive and negative parent–child relationship quality (RQ) and their associations with older parents’ cognitive function. Data came from 7,217 older adults ( M age = 73.57, SD = 9.38; 62% women) in the Health and Retirement Study, using pooled samples (2006/2008, 2010/2012, 2014/2016, 2018/2020). Growth mixture modeling identified five latent trajectory groups for both positive and negative RQ: high-stable (69%/5%), moderate (16%/23%), increasing (8%/3%), decreasing (3%/8%), and low-stable (5%/62%). Structural equation modeling showed that older parents in the increasing negative RQ trajectory group had poorer cognitive function, whereas those in the low-stable negative RQ trajectory group had better cognitive function. Multiple-group approach showed no significant gender differences in these associations between older mothers and fathers. Findings highlight the unique role of long-term older parent-child relationship patterns in shaping cognitive health, with practical implications for promoting cognitive function in later life.