title: Marital Quality and Cognitive Limitations in Late Life.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Identifying factors associated with cognitive limitations among older adults has become a major public health objective. Given the importance of marital relationships for older adults' health, this study examines the association between marital quality and change in cognitive limitations in late life, directionality of the relationship between marital quality and cognitive limitations, and potential gender differences in these associations.
  
  
  METHODS
  Latent growth curve models were used to estimate the association of marital quality with change in cognitive limitations among older adults and the direction of the association between marital quality and cognitive limitations using 4 waves of the Americans' Changing Lives survey (N = 841).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results indicate that more frequent negative (but not positive) marital experiences are associated with a slower increase in cognitive limitations over time, and the direction of this association does not operate in the reverse (i.e., cognitive limitations did not lead to change in marital quality over time). The association between negative marital experiences and cognitive limitations is similar for men and women.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The discussion highlights possible explanations for the apparent protective effect of negative marital experiences for older adults' cognitive health over time, regardless of gender.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology and Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin. minle_xu@utexas.edu.
authors.forename: Minle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology and Center on Aging and the Life Course, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana.
authors.forename: Patricia A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology and Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin.
authors.forename: Debra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Umberson
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D003071:Cognition; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D054541:Family Conflict / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D065840:Protective Factors; D014481:United States
keywords: Cognitive limitations; Gender; Marital quality; Older adults.