A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
The associations between intergenerational mobility of income and cognitive function in midlife–The Young Finns Study
Authors: Nurmi, Amanda; Vepsäläinen, Teemu; Pahkala, Katja; Puolakka, Elina; Pulkki-Råback, Laura; Elovainio, Marko; Juonala, Markus; Hutri, Nina; Kahonen, Mika; Lehtimaki, Terho; Jokinen, Eero; Laitinen, Tomi P.; Tossavainen, Paivi; Taittonen, Leena; Viikari, Jorma S. A.; Raitakari, Olli T.; Rovio, Suvi P.
Publisher: PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
Publishing place: OXFORD
Publication year: 2025
Journal: Social Science and Medicine
Journal acronym: SOC SCI MED
Article number: 118325
Volume: 382
Number of pages: 10
ISSN: 0277-9536
eISSN: 1873-5347
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118325
Web address : https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953625006562?via%3Dihub
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/499404040
Background: Systematically high and upward mobile (lower childhood and higher adulthood) socioeconomic status (SES) has been suggested to be associated with better overall cognitive function in adulthood compared to systematically low or downward mobile (high childhood and low adulthood) SES.
Methods: Participants' SES mobility was assessed using data on childhood family income (N = 3596, age 3-18) and own adulthood income (N = 1941, age 34-49). Adulthood learning and memory, working memory, information processing, and reaction time were measured using a computerized test. Altogether, 1804 participants had data on life-course income level and cognitive function in adulthood.
Results: Compared to participants with stable high income, those with stable low, downward, or upward mobile income had worse memory and learning, and information processing. Participants with stable low or downward mobile income had worse working memory and reaction time. The results persisted after adjusting for age, sex, childhood/adulthood lifestyle, cardiovascular risk factors, and polygenic risk score for cognitive function.
Conclusions: Individuals with stable high income may have better midlife cognitive function. This finding highlights the role of life-course SES for disparities in adulthood cognitive function. Understanding the role of early-life determinants of midlife cognitive function is important, as this knowledge may be applied to the early promotion of adulthood cognitive health.
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Funding information in the publication:
This work was supported by the Academy of Finland: grants 286284, 134309 (Eye), 126925, 121584, 124282, 129378 (Salve), 117787 (Gendi), 41071 (Skidi), 339390 (M.E.), 322098 (T.L) and 356405 (T.L); the Social Insurance Institution of Finland; Competitive State Research Financing of the Expert Responsibility area of Kuopio, Tampere and Turku University Hospitals (grant X51001); Juho Vainio Foundation; Paavo Nurmi Foundation; Finnish Foundation for Cardiovascular Research; Finnish Cultural Foundation; The Sigrid Juselius Foundation; Tampere Tuberculosis Foundation; Emil Aaltonen Foundation; Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation; Signe and Ane Gyllenberg Foundation; the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation; Diabetes Research Foundation of Finnish Diabetes Association; and EU Horizon 2020 (grant 755320 for TAXINOMISIS and grant 848146 for TO-AITION); and European Research Council (grant 742927 for MULTIEPIGEN project); Tampere University Hospital Supporting Foundation. KP is supported by Academy of Finland research fellowship (322112). Funding sources had no involvement in the conduct of the research or preparation of the article.
