The Reciprocal Relationship Between Social Engagement and Cognitive Function Among Older Adults in South Korea

Joonmo Son, Pildoo Sung

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

Abstract

A greater number of studies have examined the impact of social engagement on cognitive function rather than the other way around, leaving their reciprocal association underexplored. Furthermore, formal and informal social engagement are not differentiated, although they may have independent relationships with cognitive function. This study aims to identify (1) whether informal and formal social engagements are effective in maintaining cognitive health and (2) if cognitive function has a bidirectional effect on social engagement. The study applies a dynamic panel data structural equation modeling with a maximum likelihood estimator (ML-SEM) to the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA) data. The results confirm that frequent participation in organizational activities is more robustly associated with cognitive function than memberships or informal social contact. Concerning the bidirectional relationship, the cognitive function increases the degrees of informal and formal engagement. The study thus validates a reciprocal association between social engagement and cognitive function.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)928-941
Number of pages14
JournalJournal of Applied Gerontology
Volume42
Issue number5
Early online date29 Dec 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - May 2023

Scopus Subject Areas

  • Gerontology
  • Geriatrics and Gerontology

User-Defined Keywords

  • cognitive function
  • ML-SEM
  • reciprocal relationship
  • social engagement

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