Lifetime Occupation and Late-Life Cognitive Performance Among Women.
We examined whether women who had regular jobs throughout life performed better cognitively than older adult housewives. Linear regression was used to compare global cognitive performance scores of housewives (G1) and women exposed to work of low (G2) and high (G3) complexity. The sample comprised 477 older adult Brazilian women, 430 (90.4%) of whom had performed lifelong jobs. In work with data, the G2 group's cognitive performance scores were 1.73 points higher (p =.03), and the G3 group scored 1.76 points (p =.02) higher, than the G1. In work with things and with people, the G3 scored, respectively, 2.04 (p <.01) and 2.21 (p <.01) cognitive test points higher than the G1. Based on our findings we suggest occupation of greater complexity is associated with better cognitive performance in women later in life.
a Department of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy and Humanities, Federal University of Minas Gerais , Belo Horizonte , Brazil.
Pricila Cristina Correa
PC
Ribeiro
b Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, State University of Rio de Janeiro , Rio de Janeiro , Brazil.
Roberto Alves
RA
Lourenço
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D001938:Brazil; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009790:Occupations; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires