Depressive symptoms but not chronic stress mediate the link between income and cognition in Latino and Black older adults: findings from the Health and Aging Brain Study-Health Disparities.

Depressive symptoms significantly mediated the association between income and episodic memory in Black older adults.

• Sample consisted of 579 Black older adults from the Health and Aging Brain Study-Health Disparities (HABS-HD).
• Indirect effect of income on memory through depressive symptoms: B = 0.025, CI = [0.007, 0.052].
• Mediation models estimated total, direct, and indirect effects of income on cognition through depressive symptoms and chronic stress.
• The confidence interval excluded zero, indicating statistical significance.

Depressive symptoms significantly mediated the association between income and executive functioning in Black older adults.

• Indirect effect of income on executive functioning through depressive symptoms: B = 0.036, CI = [0.016, 0.069].
• The confidence interval excluded zero, confirming significant mediation.
• Sample of 579 Black older adults was analyzed using mediation models.

Chronic stress did not significantly mediate the link between income and cognition in Black older adults.

• Indirect effect of income on memory through chronic stress: B = 0.003, CI = [-0.019, 0.025].
• Indirect effect of income on executive functioning through chronic stress: B = 0.009, CI = [-0.014, 0.036].
• Both confidence intervals crossed zero, indicating non-significant mediation.
• These null findings held for both episodic memory and executive functioning outcomes.

Depressive symptoms significantly mediated the association between income and episodic memory in Latino older adults.

• Sample consisted of 1,056 Latino older adults from the Health and Aging Brain Study-Health Disparities (HABS-HD).
• Indirect effect of income on memory through depressive symptoms: B = 0.025, CI = [0.010, 0.044].
• The confidence interval excluded zero, indicating statistical significance.

Depressive symptoms significantly mediated the association between income and executive functioning in Latino older adults.

• Indirect effect of income on executive functioning through depressive symptoms: B = 0.021, CI = [0.008, 0.040].
• The confidence interval excluded zero, confirming significant mediation.
• This finding paralleled the pattern observed in Black older adults.

Chronic stress did not significantly mediate the link between income and cognition in Latino older adults.

• Indirect effect of income on memory through chronic stress: B = -0.002, CI = [-0.011, 0.004].
• Indirect effect of income on executive functioning through chronic stress: B = 0.003, CI = [-0.005, 0.012].
• Both confidence intervals crossed zero, indicating non-significant mediation.
• This null pattern for chronic stress was consistent across both racial/ethnic groups studied.

The study examined mechanisms linking economic resources to cognition specifically in Latino and Black older adults using data from the Health and Aging Brain Study-Health Disparities.

• Total analytic sample included 579 Black and 1,056 Latino older adults.
• Outcomes examined were episodic memory and executive functioning.
• Proposed mediators were depressive symptoms and chronic stress.
• Mediation models estimated total, direct, and indirect effects of income on cognition.