Using longitudinal data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), we examined whether childhood book environment is associated with higher cognitive functioning and better cognitive maintenance later in life, especially among individuals with lower education.
Major Findings
Among 86,619 adults aged 60+ (226,515 person-wave observations from Waves 4–8, with retrospective childhood circumstances from Waves 3 and 7), even modest childhood access to 11–25 books is associated with higher overall cognition levels, independent of education and other covariates, with greater benefits observed in less-educated adults. Book-rich environments are also associated with a more favorable cognitive trajectory over time, particularly for more educated adults, given the potential for steeper late-life decline.
Conclusions
Findings support a critical period model of higher cognitive functioning and a cumulative advantage model of longitudinal change, which also align with reserve-depletion patterns.
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