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Bilingualism and Cognitive Aging in Ethnically Diverse Older Adults: Cross-sectional and Longitudinal Evidence from HABS-HD
Xia L, Ren K, Demetriou I, Gurunandan K, Meeker K, Pineiro DV, Henson R.. The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences, 2026-08-04
Topic: Brain imaging, connectivity and assessment
ObjectivesIdentifying modifiable factors that shape cognitive aging trajectories is a central goal in aging research. This study examined whether bilingualism is associated with dementia status and longitudinal cognitive decline, and whether associations vary by ethnicity or gender.MethodsWe analyzed Wave 7 data from the Health and Aging Brain Study—Health Disparities (HABS-HD), a longitudinal US cohort of adults aged ≥50 years. Bilingualism was defined by self-reported use of a second language. Cross-sectional analyses included 4,140 participants (1,013 bilinguals); longitudinal analyses included 1,760 participants (522 bilinguals) followed for up to four visits at approximately 2-year intervals. Outcomes were baseline dementia status and latent factor scores for executive function and episodic memory derived from 11 neuropsychological tests. Regression and linear mixed-effects models assessed associations, adjusting for age, education, gender, ethnicity and practice effects.ResultsResults indicated that bilingualism was not associated with baseline dementia status or conversion to probable dementia. Cross-sectionally, associations varied by ethnicity: Hispanic bilinguals showed higher executive function and episodic memory scores. No advantage was seen in White participants; conversely, Black bilinguals had lower episodic memory scores. Longitudinally, bilingualism was associated with slower episodic memory decline independent of sociodemographic factors; no longitudinal association was observed for executive function. DiscussionThese findings suggest that bilingualism may confer domain-specific benefits for memory trajectories in later life, while cross-sectional differences appear shaped by sociocultural context. The results underscore the importance of considering ethnic diversity and language history when evaluating experiential influences on cognitive aging.
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APA 7th
Xia, L., Ren, K., Demetriou, I., Gurunandan, K., Meeker, K., Pineiro, D. V., et al. (2026). Bilingualism and Cognitive Aging in Ethnically Diverse Older Adults: Cross-sectional and Longitudinal Evidence from HABS-HD. The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/72rd4_v2
Vancouver
Xia L, Ren K, Demetriou I, Gurunandan K, Meeker K, Pineiro DV, et al. Bilingualism and Cognitive Aging in Ethnically Diverse Older Adults: Cross-sectional and Longitudinal Evidence from HABS-HD. The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences. 2026. doi:10.31234/osf.io/72rd4_v2.
BibTeX
@article{xia2026-34819502,
author = {Xia, L. and Ren, K. and Demetriou, I. and Gurunandan, K. and Meeker, K. and Pineiro, D. V. and Henson, R.},
title = {{Bilingualism and Cognitive Aging in Ethnically Diverse Older Adults: Cross-sectional and Longitudinal Evidence from HABS-HD}},
journal = {The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.31234/osf.io/72rd4_v2},
url = {https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/72rd4_v2}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record names 7 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- This study examined whether bilingualism is associated with dementia status and longitudinal cognitive decline, and whether associations vary by ethnicity or gender.MethodsWe analyzed Wave 7 data from the Health and Aging Brain Study—Health Disparities (HABS-HD), a longitudinal US cohort of adults aged ≥50 years.
- Regression and linear mixed-effects models assessed associations, adjusting for age, education, gender, ethnicity and practice effects.ResultsResults indicated that bilingualism was not associated with baseline dementia status or conversion to probable dementia.
- Longitudinally, bilingualism was associated with slower episodic memory decline independent of sociodemographic factors; no longitudinal association was observed for executive function.
- DiscussionThese findings suggest that bilingualism may confer domain-specific benefits for memory trajectories in later life, while cross-sectional differences appear shaped by sociocultural context.
- The results underscore the importance of considering ethnic diversity and language history when evaluating experiential influences on cognitive aging.
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Study details
- Study designcross-sectional
- Participants4,140
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 62/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a snapshot of people at one point in time. Scored zero for effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record and multi-centre collaboration, so those were left out: it earned 36 of the 58 points we could judge it on, which is 62 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Study design | 4 / 12 | A snapshot of people at one point in time |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 5 / 5 | 2026 — within 1 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 4,140 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 1 / 2 | Not in PubMed, but has a DOI |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 36 / 58 | Scored on 11 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 36 of the 58 points we could judge it on is 62 out of 100. |
| Total | 62 / 100 | — |
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