Childhood and Midlife Cultural Awareness and Activity Engagement Among Korean Married Couples.

OBJECTIVES: Cultural reproduction theory posits that cultural resources are transmitted across generations, suggesting early parental influences on cultural experiences in adulthood. Further, cultural resources may be transferred within the same generation-through significant others, such as spouses. This study investigates cultural engagement among middle-aged adults, focusing on individual and spousal influences of childhood cultural engagement. METHODS: A sample of 1,271 couples (age 49-66) from the 2012 Korean Baby Boomer Panel Study and the Korean Forgotten Generation Study was analyzed. Each respondent reported the number of arts and cultural activities (e.g., paintings, literature, and classical music) and levels of perceived cultural engagement (i.e., cultural awareness) during childhood and at midlife. Actor-Partner Interdependence Models (APIM) were estimated to examine how spouses' childhood and midlife cultural engagement were linked within couples. RESULTS: Findings showed that wives reported higher levels of activity participation and cultural awareness in childhood and midlife, compared to husbands. The APIM results indicated that beyond one's own childhood cultural engagement, spouse's childhood cultural awareness was associated with both levels of participation in arts and cultural activities (only for husbands) and cultural awareness (for both husbands and wives) at midlife. DISCUSSION: Cultural activities and awareness can be valuable assets to enhance overall well-being in later life. Given the cross-spousal associations in cultural engagement among Korean middle-aged couples, both spouses' cultural resources need to be considered for the design of interventions and policies to cultivate cultural competence and promote cultural engagement in adulthood.

Internet Use and Loneliness among Urban and Non-Urban Chinese Older Adults: The Roles of Family Support, Friend Support, and Social Participation.

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the association between Internet use and loneliness among older Chinese adults, and the mediating effects of family support, friend support, and social participation. These associations were evaluated in the context of urban and non-urban geographic settings. METHODS: This study used data from the 2018 wave of the China Longitudinal Ageing Social Survey (N=10,126), examining samples of urban (n=3,917) and non-urban (n=6,209) older adults separately. Linear regression and path analysis within a structural equation modeling framework were employed. RESULTS: Internet use was negatively associated with loneliness for both urban and non-urban residing older adults. Family support and social participation mediated the association between Internet use and loneliness for both urban and non-urban residing older Chinese adults, but friend support mediated this association only for urban older residents. DISCUSSION: This study shed light on our understanding about the relationship between Internet use and loneliness among older adults in the Chinese context. Also, these findings suggested that digital interventions for loneliness should pay special attention to the different characteristics of urban and non-urban dwelling older Chinese adults.

Pathways Linking Information and Communication Technology Use and Loneliness Among Older Adults: Evidence From the Health and Retirement Study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the association between information and communication technology (ICT) use and loneliness among community-dwelling older adults (aged 65+), as well as the mediating effects of social relations, perceived control, and purpose-in-life. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The study used data from the 2014 and 2018 Health and Retirement Study (N = 3,026), employing autoregressive path models with contemporaneous mediation to assess the association of 2 kinds of ICT use, social media communication and general computer use, with loneliness through the pathways of perceived social support, social contact, perceived constraints, and purpose-in-life. RESULTS: Social media communication had a negative association with loneliness. Perceived social support and social contact mediated this association, but not perceived constraints, or purpose-in-life. General computer use did not have a significant total effect on loneliness; however, a significant indirect effect through perceived constraints, purpose-in-life, and social contact was found. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Our findings extended the existing literature regarding the important factors associated with variation in loneliness among older adults. Health programs and ICT solutions could be more effective in mitigating loneliness if they target the root causes of loneliness, including reducing perceptions of constraints and increasing a sense of purpose-in-life, along with strengthening social relationships.

Type of Home Care-Informal Versus At Least Some Formal-Matters for Recipients' Perceived Control.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Perceived control is an important psychological resource for middle-aged and older adults. Aging in place may help foster feelings of control, yet many community-dwelling older adults must rely on others-whether family, friends, or professionals-for physical assistance. This study investigated how receiving home care from different sources was associated with two facets of perceived control (mastery and perceived constraints) among adults with varying levels of physical disability. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Data were drawn from the 2012 and 2014 waves of the Health and Retirement Study. Community-dwelling adults aged 50 years and older receiving help for at least one activity of daily living (ADL) impairment (N = 884) reported their relationship to each respective caregiver (formal professional and/or informal family or friend), level of ADL impairment, and ratings of perceived control. Ordinary least squares regression was used to examine the association between type of support and perceived control, as well as the moderating effect of physical disability on that relationship. RESULTS: Compared to receipt of informal support alone, receiving a combination of formal and informal support was related to perceptions of greater control over one's life, but only in terms of mastery. The level of one's ADL impairment did not have a moderating effect on the relationship between support type and perceived control. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Findings suggested that the type of instrumental support adults receive in their home has implications for specific facets of perceived control. These findings can help inform home care program development.

Social Contact, Social Participation, and Emotional Well-Being Among Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Roles of Giving and Receiving Social Support.

This study examined whether social contact, social participation, and social support during the COVID-19 pandemic were associated with depression and anxiety. Data were taken from the 2020 COVID-19 Supplement of the National Health and Aging Trends Study (N = 2,778). Depression and anxiety were regressed on social contact frequency, social participation, and social support. Path analyses were also performed. The results showed that in-person contact was related to lower levels of depression, while in-person contact and attending religious services were related to lower levels of anxiety. Giving and receiving support were associated with higher levels of depression and anxiety. Giving support mediated the link between virtual contact, volunteering, and depression, while receiving support mediated the link between virtual contact and depression. Receiving and giving support mediated the association between virtual social contact, volunteering, and anxiety. During the pandemic, being socially connected provided some benefits in terms of emotional well-being, but in some cases being socially connected did not provide salubrious effects.

Sensory impairment and depressive symptoms among older adults before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the associations between sensory impairment (SI), lack of social contact during the COVID-19 pandemic, and depressive symptoms among Americans aged 50 and above. METHODS: We employed data from the 2018 and 2020 Health and Retirement Study (N = 13,460) to examine four SI groups: no SI, visual impairment (VI) only, hearing impairment (HI) only, and dual sensory impairment (DSI). First, multilevel models were employed to estimate the associations between SI and depressive symptoms before and during the pandemic using the full dataset (N = 13,460). Second, linear regression models were employed to estimate the moderation effect of lack of social contact during the pandemic using the 2020 wave data only (N = 4,133). RESULTS: Among older adults, 15.60% had VI only, 10.16% had HI only, and 9.66% had DSI. All SI groups reported significantly more depressive symptoms than the no SI group. The differences between older adults with VI and DSI and those without SI regarding depressive symptoms narrowed during the pandemic. There was no statistically significant moderation effect of lack of social contact for SI and depressive symptoms. CONCLUSION: Older adults with SI faced mental health challenges and demonstrated psychological resilience during the pandemic. Future research should examine other risk factors that may modify the relationship between SI and mental health during public health crises.

Frailty, cognitive impairment, and depressive symptoms in Chinese older adults: an eight-year multi-trajectory analysis.

BACKGROUND: Frailty, cognitive impairment, and depressive symptoms are closely interrelated conditions in the aging population. However, limited research has longitudinally analyzed the concurrent trajectories of these three prominent conditions in older adults in China. This study aimed to explore the eight-year trajectories of frailty, cognitive impairment, and depressive symptoms, and to identify individual-level and structural-level factors associated with the trajectories. METHODS: Four waves of data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (2011-2018) were used to identify 6,106 eligible older adults. The main measures included frailty by the frailty index constructed using 30 indicators, cognitive impairment by the summary score of immediate and delayed word recall, figure drawing, serial subtraction, and orientation, and depressive symptoms by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Multi-trajectory models identified the trajectories of frailty, cognitive impairment, and depressive symptoms over time. Multinomial logistic regression was employed to estimate the associations between individual-level capital factors and one structural factor (hukou and geographic residency) with the identified trajectories, adjusting for demographic characteristics. RESULTS: Four trajectories emerged: (1) worsening frailty, worsening cognitive impairment, depression (14.0%); (2) declining pre-frailty, declining cognition, borderline depression (20.0%); (3) pre-frailty, worsening cognitive impairment, no depression (29.3%); and (4) physically robust, declining cognition, no depression (36.7%). Using the "physically robust, declining cognition, no depression" as the reference, not working, no social activity participant, worse childhood family financial situation, and poorer adult health were most strongly associated with the "worsening frailty, worsening cognitive impairment, depression" trajectory; worse health during childhood had the highest association with the "declining pre-frailty, declining cognition, borderline depression" trajectory; less education, lower household consumption, and rural hukou had the greatest association with the increased likelihood of the "pre-frailty, worsening cognitive impairment, no depression" trajectory. CONCLUSIONS: Findings could inform the understanding of the interrelationship of frailty, cognitive impairment, and depressive symptoms in older adults in China and may help practitioners detect adults at risk for adverse trajectories to implement strategies for proper care.

Internet use and loneliness among older Chinese adults.

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the association between Internet use and loneliness among Chinese older adults (aged 60+) over a two-year period using nationally representative survey data from China. METHODS: Using data from the 2016 and 2018 waves of the China Longitudinal Ageing Social Survey (N = 8,059), we estimated difference-in-differences regression models to assess the association between Internet use and levels of loneliness over time. RESULTS: Compared to Internet non-users, Chinese older adults who were new Internet users, as well as those who were continuous Internet users, reported lower levels of loneliness over time (B = -0.21, p < 0.001 and B = -0.16, p < 0.001, respectively). Conversely, those Chinese older adults who used the Internet in wave 1 but then disengaged from using the Internet in wave 2 demonstrated an upward trend in loneliness over time, similar to Internet non-users (the estimate of difference-in-differences was non-significant for the comparison between disengaged-users and non-users: B = -0.03, p = 0.42). CONCLUSION: This study provided new evidence to support the potential benefits of Internet use for reducing the risk of loneliness among Chinese older adults. The findings suggested that supporting current Internet users to remain digitally engaged is as important as encouraging Internet non-users to cross the digital divide.

Hukou Status and Cognitive Function Among Older Chinese Adults: Does Support from Friends Matter?

OBJECTIVES: This study examined whether older Chinese adults with different types of hukou status (government household registration system) exhibited different cognitive outcomes and whether receiving support from friends, an under-appreciated resource, helped mitigate the negative impacts of agricultural hukou status on cognitive health disparities. METHODS: Using nationally representative data from the China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey, this study tested these relationships with well-validated measures. RESULTS: Our results showed that older Chinese adults with agricultural hukou were more likely to have worse cognitive function than those with non-agricultural hukou. Further, friend support characteristics moderated the association between hukou status and cognitive function, whereby having better friend support was related to a weaker negative effect of agricultural hukou status on cognitive function. DISCUSSION: The findings suggested that agricultural hukou status reflects the effects of accumulated disadvantage across the life course with negative consequences for late-life cognition. The cognitive health disparities between agricultural and non-agricultural residents may be reduced in the context of a higher level of friend support, supporting a stress buffering hypothesis.

Online engagement, resilience, and loneliness among older people during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the public health concerns of social isolation and loneliness for older people who are vulnerable due to their health conditions and more restrictive social measures. However studies revealed that many older adults demonstrated high resilience and remained emotionally stable during the pandemic, particularly those who had a broad engagement with online technology that could compensate for their isolation. Yet, little empirical research has examined explicitly the association between online engagement and loneliness among older adults, and the role resilience played in this relationship during the pandemic. This study contributed to the literature by addressing these research gaps. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This study investigated the relationships between online engagement (sum of involvement in 31 online activities), resilience (sum of positive experiences and personal growth during COVID-19) and loneliness (mean of 11-items from the revised version of the UCLA loneliness scale) among community-dwelling older people (aged 60+), using national survey data from the 2020 Health and Retirement Study (HRS) collected during the COVID-19 pandemic (N = 3,552). RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Online engagement was negatively associated with levels of loneliness (ß = -0.080, 95% CI [-0.118, -0.047]), and this association was partially mediated by levels of resilience (ß = -0.023, 95% CI [-0.031, -0.016]. The findings suggested that a broad integration of online technology into daily-life may have helped older people combat loneliness during the pandemic, and resilience could be one important mechanism that linked this association.

Mild Neurocognitive Disorder, Social Engagement, and Falls Among Older Primary Care Patients.

OBJECTIVES: (1) To estimate the association between social engagement (SE) and falls; (2) To examine the relation between mild neurocognitive disorder (MNCD) and falls by different levels of SE. DESIGN: We performed a secondary data analysis using prospective cohort study design. SETTING: Primary care. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 425 older adult primary care patients at risk for mobility decline (N=425). As previously reported, at baseline, 42% of participants exhibit MNCD. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The outcome variable was the number of falls during 2 years of follow-up. Exposure variables at baseline included (1) MNCD identified using a cut-off of 1.5 SD below the age-adjusted mean on at least 2 measures within a cognitive performance battery and (2) SE, which was assessed using the social component of the Late-Life Function and Disability Instrument. High SE was defined as having a score ≥ median value (≥49 out of 100). All models were adjusted for age, sex, education, marital status, comorbidities, and pain status. RESULTS: Over 2 years of follow-up, 48% of participants fell at least once. MNCD was associated with a higher rate of falls, adjusting for the covariates (Incidence Rate Ratio=1.6, 95% confidence interval: 1.1-2.3). There was no significant association between MNCD and the rate of falls among people with high SE. In participants with low SE (having a score less than 49.5 out 100), MNCD was associated with a higher rate of falls as compared with participants with no neurocognitive disorder (No-NCD). CONCLUSIONS: Among participants with low SE, MNCD was associated with a higher rate of falls, but not among participants with high SE. The findings suggest that high SE may be protective against falls among older primary care patients with MNCD.

Friendship in Later Life: A Pathway Between Volunteering Hours and Depressive Symptoms.

OBJECTIVES: Friendships are essential in the face of social network changes in later life and friendships may be important for reducing depression risk. Social participation through volunteering is also associated with fewer depressive symptoms. What is less well-understood is whether friendships serve as a pathway in the link between volunteering and depression. METHODS: We used panel data from the Health and Retirement Study (2010, 2014, 2018). Negative binomial regression within the SEM modeling framework was employed to analyze the association between volunteering and friendship, focusing on the indirect effect of friendships for understanding the volunteering and depressive symptoms relationship. RESULTS: Volunteer hours were positively associated with friendship (1-99 hr: ß = 0.17, p < .001, 100-199 hr: ß = 0.15, p < .001, 200 hr and more: ß = 0.23, p < .001) and negatively associated with number of depressive symptoms (1-99 hr: ß = -0.07, p = .06, 100-199 hr: ß = -0.14, p < .001, 200 hr and more: ß = -0.17, p < .001). Friendship mediated the relationship between volunteer hours and depressive symptoms (indirect effects; 1-99 hr: ß = -0.01, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [-0.02, -0.00], p = .03), 100-199 hr: ß = -0.01, 95% CI = [-0.02, -0.00], p = .03), 200 hr and more: ß = -0.02, 95% CI = [-0.03, -0.00], p = .03). DISCUSSION: Our findings underscored the role of volunteering in generating and maintaining friendships, as well as for friendships as a pathway between volunteer hours and depressive symptoms. Providing opportunities to maintain and grow friendships in later life may be a possible intervention strategy for older adults at risk of depression.

Financial Problems in Established Adulthood: Implications for Depressive Symptoms and Relationship Quality with Parents.

Using two waves of data from the Family Exchanges Study (2008 and 2013), this study examined changes in financial problems before and after the Great Recession and investigated the implications for adults' depressive symptoms and relationship quality with parents. Participants in established adulthood (N = 170, age 30-46 in 2013) provided information about their financial difficulties and depressive symptoms, as well as negative relationship quality with each parent (parent-child tie; N = 316) at baseline and 5 years later. Results showed that a growing number of participants experienced financial problems between the two waves, rising from 16 to 72% of participants. Moreover, 14% of participants indicated continuing financial problems and 33% reported decreased income over the 5 year observation period. Financial problems at baseline, continuing financial problems across the observation period, and decreased income over time were associated with participants' increased depressive symptoms, after controlling for their baseline depressive symptoms. Results from multilevel models also revealed that adult participants had more strained relationships with their parents if they experienced more financial problems at the follow-up interview. The harmful effect of financial problems on relationship quality with parents was partially explained by adult participants' depressive symptoms. Findings of this study highlight the important role of financial hardship for persons in established adulthood and their intergenerational ties.

Age and Cohort Trends in Formal Volunteering and Informal Helping in Later Life: Evidence From the Health and Retirement Study.

Formal volunteering holds great importance for the recipients of volunteer services, individuals who volunteer, and the wider society. However, how much recent birth cohorts volunteer in middle and late adulthood compared with earlier birth cohorts is not well understood. Even less well-known are the age and cohort trends in informal helping provided to friends and neighbors in later adulthood. Using longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study, we estimated age and cohort trends in formal volunteering and informal helping from 1998 to 2018 for a wide range of birth cohorts born between 1909 and 1958. We used multivariate, multilevel models based on Bayesian generalized modeling methods to estimate the probabilities of volunteering and informal helping simultaneously in a single model. Despite having advantages in human and health capital, recent birth cohorts showed volunteering levels in late adulthood that are similar to those of their predecessors. Moreover, more recent birth cohorts were consistently less engaged in informal helping than earlier birth cohorts throughout the observation period. More research is needed to illuminate the sociocultural drivers of changes in helping behaviors and overall prosocial and civic engagement.

Cognitive function and cognitive decline among older rural Chinese adults: the roles of social support, pension benefits, and medical insurance.

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated whether social support, pension benefits, and medical insurance coverage are related to cognitive function and decline among older rural Chinese adults and whether depressive symptoms represented a pathway linking these factors with cognitive function. METHODS: Data are taken from three waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (N = 5,135). Cognitive function is assessed with episodic memory and depressive symptoms are assessed with the 10-item CESD Scale. Social support (intergenerational financial transfers, weekly contact with children, perceived availability of future support, and living arrangements), pension benefits, and medical insurance coverage are self-reported measures. Multilevel linear regression models are employed. RESULTS: Intergenerational financial transfers, perceived availability of future support, and pension income are associated with higher levels of cognitive function. Living with others, perceived availability of future support, medical insurance coverage, and pension income are associated with a slower risk of cognitive decline. Depressive symptoms mediated the association between perceived availability of future support, living with others, pension income and level of cognitive function and the link between perceived availability of future support, pension income, and cognitive decline. CONCLUSION: The findings suggested these modifiable factors should be taken into account when screening older adults for possible cognitive impairment and decline. Early interventions may also be helpful by expanding social resources and reducing psychological distress.

Association of Chronic Diseases and Functional Limitations with Subjective Age: The Mediating Role of Sense of Control.

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the relationships between chronic diseases, functional limitations, sense of control, and subjective age. Older adults may evaluate their subjective age by reference to their younger healthier selves and thus health and functional status are likely to be determinants of subjective age. Although sense of control is also a potential predictor of subjective age, stress-inducing factors associated with disease and functional limitations may reduce older adults' sense of control, making them feel older. METHODS: Using the 2010 and 2014 waves of the Health and Retirement Study, structural equation modeling was performed on a sample of 6,329 respondents older than 50 years to determine whether sense of control mediated the relationship between chronic diseases, limitations in instrumental/basic activities of daily living (ADLs, IADLs), and subjective age. RESULTS: Chronic diseases and limitations in ADLs had a positive, direct association with subjective age (ß = 0.037, p = .005; ß = 0.068, p = .001, respectively). In addition, chronic diseases and limitations in ADLs and IADLs were positively, indirectly associated with subjective age via a diminished sense of control (ß = 0.006, p = .000; ß = 0.007, p = .003; ß = 0.019, p = .000, respectively). DISCUSSION: As predicted by the Deterioration model, the findings showed that chronic diseases and functional impairment are associated with older adults feeling older by challenging the psychological resource of sense of control. Appropriate interventions for dealing with health challenges and preserving sense of control may help prevent the adverse downstream effects of older subjective age.

Perceptions of Childhood Neighborhood Social Cohesion and Cognitive Function in Middle and Late Adulthood.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Framed within the life course perspective and the neighborhood stress model, this study investigated the association between perceptions of childhood neighborhood social cohesion and cognitive function among middle-aged and older Chinese adults. We also examined whether gender, childhood hukou status, the Chinese national administrative household registration system, and birth cohort moderated the association. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This study used 3 waves of nationally representative data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (2011-2015; N = 11,469). Cognitive function was measured with the Telephone Interview for Cognition Status instrument. Two-level multilevel modeling was employed to address the research questions. RESULTS: A higher overall level of childhood neighborhood social cohesion was associated with a higher baseline level of cognitive function (b = 0.26, p < .001) and a slower rate of cognitive decline (b = 0.10, p = .010). Birth cohort membership moderated the linkage between childhood neighborhood social cohesion and the level of cognitive function (b = 0.35, p < .001) and cognitive decline (b = 0.19, p = .014). Gender and childhood hukou status did not moderate these associations. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: These findings underscored the long-term ramifications of childhood conditions for later-life cognitive function. Social cohesion at the neighborhood level during childhood may be a factor that promotes healthy cognitive aging.

Diagnoses of Chronic Health Conditions and Change in Subjective Age: The Moderating Role of Chronological Age.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Health is a predictor of subjective age, and although inconclusive, the strength of this association is not uniform across different age groups. This study investigates if new diagnoses of chronic health conditions are associated with a change in subjective age and if chronological age moderates this relationship. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, residualized change regression analysis was performed for a sample of 5,158 respondents older than 50 years to examine their subjective age in 2014 relative to that reported in 2010. The main predictor was the number of chronic health conditions newly diagnosed between 2010 and 2014. Chronological age in 2010 was the moderator. RESULTS: Results showed that each new diagnosis of a chronic health condition was significantly associated with a 0.68-year increase in subjective age reported in 2014, compared to subjective age reported in 2010. However, this increase in subjective age was attenuated by 0.05 years for each additional year in 2010 chronological age. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: According to Social and Temporal Comparison theories, people compare themselves to their age peers and earlier selves. Given expectations for better health at younger chronological ages, being diagnosed with chronic health conditions may have a stronger association with subjective age among middle-aged persons when compared with older persons. The findings suggest that subjective age may be used as a screening tool to predict how chronic disease diagnosis may influence peoples' sense of self, which in turn shapes future health.

Subjective well-being among male veterans in later life: the enduring effects of early life adversity.

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the association between childhood and young adult adversities and later-life subjective well-being among older male veterans. We also explored whether early-life parent-child relationships and later-life social engagement served as moderators and mediators, respectively. METHODS: Data were from the 2008 to 2012 waves of the Health and Retirement Study for male veterans (N = 2026). Subjective well-being measures included depressive symptoms, self-rated health, and life satisfaction. Linear regression with the Process macro was employed to estimate the relationships. RESULTS: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) were positively associated with number of depressive symptoms and negatively related to life satisfaction. Combat exposure, a young adulthood adversity experience, was positively associated with depressive symptoms, but not with self-rated health or life satisfaction. Later-life social engagement mediated the relationship between ACEs and subjective well-being indices. Parent-child relationship quality did not moderate the association between the measures of adversity and any measure of subjective well-being. DISCUSSION: Childhood adversity and combat exposure were related to worse later life subjective well-being. Also, later-life social engagement mediated the association of two early life adversity measures and subjective well-being. Future research should examine subjective well-being and early life adversity for female veterans and should employ more detailed information about combat exposure.

Friendship and Cognitive Functioning Among Married and Widowed Chinese Older Adults.

OBJECTIVES: Guided by the social convoy model, this study investigated the association between friendship and cognitive functioning among older Chinese adults, as well as the moderating effect of marital status (married vs widowed). We also explored whether depression might account for the link between friendship and cognitive functioning. METHODS: We used data from the China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey in 2014 (N = 8,482). Cognitive functioning was measured with the Mini-Mental State Examination instrument and friendship was assessed with a 3-item Lubben Social Network Scale. Linear regression and path analyses within a structural equation modeling framework were performed to examine the hypotheses. RESULTS: Results indicated that friendship was significantly related to better cognitive functioning among older Chinese adults (ß = 0.083, p < .001) and marital status moderated this association (ß = -0.058, p < .01). In addition, depression partially mediated the relationship between friendship and cognitive functioning (ß = 0.015, p < .001). DISCUSSION: The results implied that friendship is important for maintaining cognitive functioning in later life and widowed older Chinese adults may benefit more from friendship in its relationship to cognitive functioning than married older Chinese adults. Further, one potential pathway linking friendship to cognitive functioning may be through depression; however, more research is needed to support this finding. Intervention programs aimed at building friendship opportunities may be one way to achieve better cognitive aging.