Timing of retirement and cognitive decline among older black adults: Study of Healthy Aging in African Americans (STAR)

INTRODUCTION: We investigated the association between retirement, age at retirement, and domain-specific cognitive decline. METHODS: Three hundred twenty-one participants aged 65+ from the Study of Healthy Aging in African Americans completed verbal episodic memory (VEM) and executive function (EF) assessments across three waves (every 16 months). Linear mixed-effects models with random intercepts and slopes examined associations of retirement status (retired, not retired) and timing (retired before age 65, retired at 65+, and not retired) with cognitive decline adjusting for demographics and parental education. RESULTS: Participants' mean age was 74.6 ± 6.9, 65% were women, and 87% were retired (33% at age 65+). Retirement status and timing were not associated with baseline cognition. Over 2.11 ± 0.66 years, non-retirees had slower EF decline than retirees (b = 0.11 [0.03, 0.19]). Participants who retired at 65+ had slower VEM decline than those who retired before 65 (b = 0.11 [0.02, 0.21]). DISCUSSION: Retirement and early retirement were associated with faster cognitive decline among Black/African American adults.