Using data from Wave 5 (2018) of the Mexican Health and Aging Study, this research examines the implications of six social leisure activities for cognition among married and unmarried men and women in Mexico, while considering their physical health and depressive symptoms. The findings reveal some marital status and gender differences and similarities. This study indicates that church attendance and volunteering might be related to poorer cognition, whereas a training course, club participation, board games, and remote communication can provide cognitive benefits. Despite poor vision, poor hearing, and functional limitations, a training course, board games, and remote communication might be associated with better cognition. Yet, in case of poor hearing and depressive symptoms, volunteering, club participation, and board games might be linked to poorer cognition. The insights from this study can help develop intervention programs for improving later-life cognitive functioning through social leisure participation, particularly among individuals with deteriorating health.
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