Journal article
Neighborhood Bonding and Bridging Social Capital, Social Activity Participation, and Short-term Cognitive Variability in Later Life
The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences, v 80(11)
Nov 2025
PMID: 40848250
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Objectives
Investigating social determinants of health and related outcomes may help identify effective and sustainable intervention targets. This study examined whether contextual-level social capital (bonding and bridging capital) and individual-level social participation were associated with short-term cognitive variability, an early indicator of normal and pathological cognitive aging.
Methods
The sample consisted of urban community-dwelling older adults (N = 304, mean age = 77.5, range = 70–91) from the Einstein Aging Study. Bonding and bridging social capital measures were derived at the zip code tabulation area (ZCTA)-level and linked with participants’ addresses. Formal and informal social activity participation was assessed using self-reported questionnaires. Cognitive performance was assessed using three smartphone-administered cognitive tasks that measured processing speed (Symbol match) and associative working memory performance (Color-shape binding, Color-dot) 6 times a day for 14 days. Heterogeneous variance multilevel models using log-linear prediction of residual variance were used to simultaneously assess mean and variability of cognitive performance.
Results
Both social capital measures were significantly associated with reduced cognitive variability across the three tests, with stronger effects of bridging (6.3∼8.8% reduction in residual variance) than bonding social capital (3.3∼5.4% reduction). Social participation was independently associated with reduced cognitive variability (3.0∼8.6% reduction). Effects of social capital and social participation on mean levels of cognition mostly failed to reach statistical significance.
Discussion
Both structural and individual-level social integration played a crucial role in short-term cognitive variability beyond mean-level performance. Multi-level interventions aimed at strengthening social ties and engagement might mitigate cognitive instability and future cognitive impairment.
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Details
- Title
- Neighborhood Bonding and Bridging Social Capital, Social Activity Participation, and Short-term Cognitive Variability in Later Life
- Creators
- Jinshil Hyun (Corresponding Author) - Albert Einstein College of MedicineEric S Cerino - Northern Arizona UniversityMindy J Katz - Albert Einstein College of MedicineGina Lovasi - Drexel UniversityRichard B Lipton - Albert Einstein College of MedicineMartin J Sliwinski - Pennsylvania State University
- Publication Details
- The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences, v 80(11)
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Number of pages
- 9
- Grant note
- National Institute on Aging (NIA): P01AG003949 NIA: R00AG080126 Alzheimer's Association: 23AARF-1020416 Sylvia and Leonard Marx FoundationCzap FoundationNational Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities: U54 MD012388
The Einstein Aging Study project was supported by the National Institute on Aging (NIA; P01AG003949). J.H. received funding for this work from NIA (R00AG080126), the Alzheimer's Association (23AARF-1020416), the Sylvia and Leonard Marx Foundation, and the Czap Foundation. E.S.C. was supported by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (U54 MD012388). The sponsors had no role in the design, methods, subject recruitment, data col-lection, analysis, or preparation of this paper
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Dana and David Dornsife School of Public Health; Epidemiology and Biostatistics
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:001591736700001
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-105018620167
- Other Identifier
- 991022084246504721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Geriatrics & Gerontology
- Gerontology
- Psychology
- Psychology, Multidisciplinary