Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39436964›Full record

ArticleThe journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences2024

Childbearing Histories and Midlife Cognition: Accounting for Early Life Factors.

Mieke Beth Thomeer, Joseph D Wolfe, Dee Ferguson, Rin Reczek, Rui Cao

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Family Size Across the Life Course and Cognitive Decline in Older Mexican Adults.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2025
    Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Mieke Beth ThomeerDepartment of Sociology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham,Alabama, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-2777-2628
Joseph D WolfeDepartment of Sociology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham,Alabama, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-7392-6937
Dee FergusonDepartment of Sociology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham,Alabama, USA.
Rin ReczekDepartment of Sociology, Institute for Population Research, The Ohio State University, Columbus,Ohio, USA.
Rui CaoDepartment of Sociology, Institute for Population Research, The Ohio State University, Columbus,Ohio, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6875-6662

Funding

Institute for Population ResearchP2CHD058484 · NICHD · OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY · PI HAYFORD, SARAH R · 2014 to 2023
$5.0M
Network on Education, Biosocial Pathways, and Dementia across Diverse PopulationsR24AG077433 · NIA · UNIV OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK · PI Sanjay Asthana, Pamela Herd · 2022 to 2026
$3.0M
Motherhood Biographies and Midlife Women's HealthR01AG069251 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · PI Rin Reczek, Mieke Beth Thomeer McBride · 2021 to 2026
$2.2M
Network on Education, Biosocial Pathways, and Dementia across Diverse Populations NIA R24AG077433NIA NIH HHS R01 AG069251NIA NIH HHS R01AG069251NIA NIH HHS R24 AG077433NICHDNICHD NIH HHS P2C HD058484NIH HHS P2CHD058484Ohio State University Institute for Population Research
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesChildbearing histories-for example, parity and age at first birth-matter for the health outcomes of mid- and later-life women. There is growing evidence that childbearing may shape cognitive outcomes. However, previous research is not definitive due to its inability to account for selection. Selection is critical to address given that multiple factors, including socioeconomic background and cognition in adolescence, place women at risk for both specific childbearing experiences and poor cognitive functioning.

methodsWe analyze the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY79; N = 3,668), a longitudinal nationally representative data set from the United States that began collecting data during respondents' late teens and early 20s. We estimate the average treatment effects of childbearing histories on midlife memory and cognition using propensity-score matching techniques that incorporate an expansive set of early life factors.

resultsIn models adjusting for early life covariates, we find that any births, high parity, and early first birth are associated with worse self-reported memory, but not cognitive functioning scores. After addressing the influence of early life factors through matching techniques, the only robust differences relate to any births and early first births with self-reported memory. DISCUSSION: Selection into specific childbearing experiences partially drives the link between childbearing and cognition at midlife, with cascading implications into later life. We suggest incorporating childbearing and early life factors into models to identify social determinants of memory and cognitive functioning.

Indexed as

CognitionParityAdolescentAdultFemaleHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaternal AgeMiddle AgedPregnancyReproductive HistorySocioeconomic FactorsUnited StatesYoung AdultCognitive functioningLife coursePropensity score matchingReproductionWomen’s health

Identifiers

PMID39436964
PMCPMC11582397

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.