Racial differences in links between perceived discrimination, depressive symptoms, and ambulatory working memory.

OBJECTIVES: Perceived discrimination is associated with racial cognitive health disparities. Links between discrimination and cognitive performance, like working memory, in everyday settings (i.e. ambulatory performance) require investigation. Depressive symptoms may be a mechanism through which discrimination relates to ambulatory working memory. METHOD: Discrimination, retrospective and momentary depressive symptoms/mood, and aggregated and momentary working memory performance among older Black and White adults were examined within the Einstein Aging Study. RESULTS: Racially stratified analyses revealed that discrimination did not relate to Black or White adults' ambulatory working memory. Among Black adults, however, more frequent discrimination was associated with greater retrospectively reported depressive symptoms, which related to more working memory errors across two weeks (indirect effect p < 0.05). This path was not significant among White adults. Links between discrimination and momentary working memory were not explained by momentary reports of depressed mood for Black or White adults. CONCLUSION: Depressive symptoms may play an important role in the link between discrimination and ambulatory working memory among Black adults across extended measurements, but not at the momentary level. Future research should address ambulatory cognition and momentary reports of discrimination and depression to better understand how to minimize cognitive health disparities associated with discrimination.

Physical activity and cognitive function: moment-to-moment and day-to-day associations.

BACKGROUND: The beneficial effect of acute physical exercise on cognitive performance has been studied in laboratory settings and in long-term longitudinal studies. Less is known about these associations in everyday environment and on a momentary timeframe. This study investigated momentary and daily associations between physical activity and cognitive functioning in the context of everyday life. METHODS: Middle-aged adults (n = 291, aged 40-70) were asked to wear accelerometers and complete ecological momentary assessments for eight consecutive days. Processing speed and visual memory were assessed three times per day and self-rated evaluations of daily cognition (memory, thinking, and sharpness of mind) were collected each night. The number of minutes spent above the active threshold (active time) and the maximum vector magnitude counts (the highest intensity obtained) before each cognitive test and at a daily level were used as predictors of momentary cognitive performance and nightly subjective cognition. Analyses were done with multilevel linear models. The models were adjusted for temporal and contextual factors, age, sex, education, and race/ethnicity. RESULTS: When participants had a more active time or higher intensity than their average level within the 20 or 60 minutes prior to the cognitive test, they performed better on the processing speed task. On days when participants had more active time than their average day, they rated their memory in the evening better. Physical activity was not associated with visual memory or self-rated thinking and sharpness of mind. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides novel evidence that outside of laboratory settings, even small increases in physical activity boost daily processing speed abilities and self-rated memory. The finding of temporary beneficial effects is consistent with long-term longitudinal research on the cognitive benefits of physical activity.

Cardiovascular health, infection burden, and incident dementia in the UK Biobank.

INTRODUCTION: Among older adults, total and hospitalized infection may be associated with incidence of all-cause and Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementias, with variation by cardiovascular health (CVH). METHODS: We used Cox proportional hazards (PH) models to examine the relationships between International Classification of Diseases-10th revision (ICD-10)-specific viral and bacterial infectious agents and incident all-cause and AD dementia among 355,046 UK Biobank participants ≥50 years at baseline. Life's Essential 8 (LE8) index reflected CVH. RESULTS: In both sexes, total infection burden (yes vs. no) was associated with all-cause dementia, with significant interactions by LE8 tertiles, whereby this relationship was significant only in the lowest LE8 tertile. Hospital-treated infection burden (yes vs no) was significantly related to all-cause and AD dementia, with no significant interaction with LE8 tertile. Age group patterns were detected. DISCUSSION: AD and all-cause dementia were related to hospital-treated infections, while CVH modified the relationship of total infection burden with all-cause dementia. Highlights Secondary analysis on >355,000 UK Biobank participants ≥50 years at baseline. Alzheimer's disease and all-cause dementia are both related to hospital-treated infection. Cardiovascular health modifies association of infection burden with all-cause dementia.

Personality Traits and the Subjective and Objective Experience of Sleep.

BACKGROUND: There is growing evidence that five-factor model personality traits are associated with self-reported sleep. We test whether these associations extend to objective sleep measures in older adulthood and whether measures of objective sleep mediate the relation between personality and subjective sleep. METHODS: A random subsample of participants in the National Social Life and Aging Project (NSHAP) wore an accelerometer for up to three nights and had information on FFM personality traits (N = 620). Participants also reported on their feelings of being rested. RESULTS: Higher neuroticism and lower extraversion and conscientiousness were associated with more frequent wake after sleep onset, greater fragmentation, and feeling less rested. Concurrent body mass index, disease burden, perceived stress, and depressive symptoms accounted for these associations. Personality was unrelated to total time spent asleep but conscientiousness was associated with earlier and more consistent bedtimes. None of the objective sleep metrics mediated the relation between personality and subjective sleep. CONCLUSIONS: The present research indicates that the associations typically found for personality and subjective sleep extend to objective sleep fragmentation. These objective measures, however, do not account for the relation between personality and feeling rested.

The association between educational parameters and a cognitive screening measure in older blacks.

ABSTRACTBackground:To expand on prior literature by examining how various education parameters (performance-based reading literacy, years of education, and self-rated quality of education) relate to a cognitive screening measure's total and subscale scores of specific cognitive abilities. METHODS: Black adults (age range: 55-86) were administered self-rated items years of education and quality of education, and a measure of performance-based reading literacy. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was used to screen for overall cognitive functioning as well as performance on specific cognitive abilities. RESULTS: Sixty-nine percent of the sample had reading grade levels that were less than their reported years of education. Lower years of education and worse reading literacy are associated with poorer MMSE performance, particularly on the attention and calculation subscales. CONCLUSIONS: Years of education, a commonly used measure for education, may not be reflective of Black adults' educational experiences/qualities. Thus, it is important to account for the unique educational experiences of adults that could influence their MMSE performance. Incorporating quality and quantity of education will provide a more comprehensive understanding of the individual's performance on cognitive measures, specifically as it relates to sociocultural differences.

The Effects of Social Support on Physical Functioning in Older African Americans: Longitudinal Results from the Baltimore Study of Black Aging.

INTRODUCTION: Compared with other racial/ethnic groups, African Americans have higher rates of chronic conditions and suffer a disproportionate burden of disability. We aimed to examine the effects of social support on physical functioning among older African Americans. METHODS: We analyzed a sample of 448 urban, community-dwelling, older African Americans (aged 48-98 years) from the Baltimore Study of Black Aging. Baseline physical functioning was collected between 2006 and 2008 (wave 1), and change in physical functioning was collected between 2009 and 2011 (wave 2), physical functioning was assessed by self-reported limitations in 7 activities of daily living-eating, dressing, grooming, walking, bathing, using the toilet, and transferring in and out of bed-using a binary variable to indicate whether the individual had difficulty performing each specific activity. Social support was measured by how frequently participants provided/received goods and services, financial assistance, transportation, companionship, advice, or encouragement (never [0], rarely [1], sometimes [2], frequently [3]). Negative binomial regression models were used to test the effects of social support given, received, and a ratio (support received/support given) on physical functioning for those who improved and those who declined in physical functioning. RESULTS: Participants reported physical functioning at wave 1 (1.24, standard deviation [SD] = 1.98) and at wave 2 (0.34, SD = 0.83). Average social support given was 7.49 (SD = 3.26), and average social support received was 7.81 (SD = 3.17). Those who improved in physical function gave less social support and had lower social support ratios; social support received had no effect. Those who remained stable or declined in physical function gave more social support; neither social support received nor social ratio had an effect. CONCLUSION: Social support given and social support received as well as the ratio should be considered when seeking to understand how physical functioning changes over time among older African Americans.

Caffeine and alcohol intakes and overall nutrient adequacy are associated with longitudinal cognitive performance among U.S. adults.

Among modifiable lifestyle factors, diet may affect cognitive health. Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations may exist between dietary exposures [e.g., caffeine (mg/d), alcohol (g/d), and nutrient adequacy] and cognitive performance and change over time. This was a prospective cohort study, the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (n = 628-1305 persons depending on the cognitive outcome; ∼2 visits/person). Outcomes included 10 cognitive scores, spanning various domains of cognition. Caffeine and alcohol intakes and a nutrient adequacy score (NAS) were estimated from 7-d food diaries. Among key findings, caffeine intake was associated with better baseline global cognition among participants with a baseline age (Agebase) of ≥70 y. A higher NAS was associated with better baseline global cognition performance (overall, women, Agebase <70 y), better baseline verbal memory (immediate and delayed recall, Agebase ≥70 y), and slower rate of decline or faster improvement in the attention domain (women). For an Agebase of <70 y, alcohol consumption was associated with slower improvement on letter fluency and global cognition over time. Conversely, for an Agebase of ≥70 y and among women, alcohol intake was related to better baseline attention and working memory. In sum, patterns of diet and cognition associations indicate stratum-specific associations by sex and baseline age. The general observed trend was that of putative beneficial effects of caffeine intake and nutrient adequacy on domains of global cognition, verbal memory, and attention, and mixed effects of alcohol on domains of letter fluency, attention, and working memory. Further longitudinal studies conducted on larger samples of adults are needed to determine whether dietary factors individually or in combination are modifiers of cognitive trajectories among adults.

Epidemiologic studies of modifiable factors associated with cognition and dementia: systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Cognitive impairment, including dementia, is a major health concern with the increasing aging population. Preventive measures to delay cognitive decline are of utmost importance. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most frequent cause of dementia, increasing in prevalence from <1% below the age of 60 years to >40% above 85 years of age. METHODS: We systematically reviewed selected modifiable factors such as education, smoking, alcohol, physical activity, caffeine, antioxidants, homocysteine (Hcy), n-3 fatty acids that were studied in relation to various cognitive health outcomes, including incident AD. We searched MEDLINE for published literature (January 1990 through October 2012), including cross-sectional and cohort studies (sample sizes > 300). Analyses compared study finding consistency across factors, study designs and study-level characteristics. Selecting studies of incident AD, our meta-analysis estimated pooled risk ratios (RR), population attributable risk percent (PAR%) and assessed publication bias. RESULTS: In total, 247 studies were retrieved for systematic review. Consistency analysis for each risk factor suggested positive findings ranging from ~38.9% for caffeine to ~89% for physical activity. Education also had a significantly higher propensity for "a positive finding" compared to caffeine, smoking and antioxidant-related studies. Meta-analysis of 31 studies with incident AD yielded pooled RR for low education (RR = 1.99; 95% CI: 1.30-3.04), high Hcy (RR = 1.93; 95% CI: 1.50-2.49), and current/ever smoking status (RR = 1.37; 95% CI: 1.23-1.52) while indicating protective effects of higher physical activity and n-3 fatty acids. Estimated PAR% were particularly high for physical activity (PAR% = 31.9; 95% CI: 22.7-41.2) and smoking (PAR% = 31.09%; 95% CI: 17.9-44.3). Overall, no significant publication bias was found. CONCLUSIONS: Higher Hcy levels, lower educational attainment, and decreased physical activity were particularly strong predictors of incident AD. Further studies are needed to support other potential modifiable protective factors, such as caffeine.

Examining the Impact of Race and Poverty on the Relationship Between Purpose in Life and Functional Health: Insights from the HANDLS Study.

INTRODUCTION: While research has shown a positive association between a higher sense of purpose in life and functional health, there is a gap in understanding its benefits for racially minoritized and low SES individuals. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between purpose in life and physical functional health in a diverse sample, hypothesizing that purpose in life would be negatively associated with functional difficulties, with potentially stronger associations in White and high SES groups. METHODS: Data from the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span (HANDLS) study were utilized (166 participants, mean age 59.44 [SD = 8.28], 59.6% females, 65.06% Black participants, 40.36% below poverty). Purpose in life was measured by Ryff's Psychological Well-being Purpose in Life subscale. Functional health was measured by functional difficulties in mobility and daily living. Race (Black and White) and poverty status (above and below) were used as moderators to probe the purpose-functional health association using zero-inflated Poisson regression while adjusting for age, education, depressive symptomology, and previous functional difficulties in four hierarchical models. RESULTS: Results showed that purpose in life was negatively associated with functional difficulty, indicating fewer difficulties in mobility and daily activities among those with a high sense of purpose. While the association did not remain significant after including previous functional difficulty as a covariate in Model 4, suggesting that race may not be a consistent moderator, poverty status remained a consistent moderator. The association was stronger for individuals above the poverty level. DISCUSSION: These findings underscore the complex interplay between purpose in life, race, poverty status, and functional health, emphasizing the importance of considering socioeconomic factors in interventions aimed at eliminating functional health disparities among diverse adult populations.

Personality and cognitive errors in the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span study.

This study examines the association between personality and cognitive errors in the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span study, a sample diverse across race (Black, White) and SES (above, below 125% of the federal poverty line). Participants (N=1,062) completed a comprehensive personality questionnaire and were administered a brief mental status screener of cognitive errors. Higher neuroticism was associated with more cognitive errors, whereas higher openness and conscientiousness were associated with fewer errors. These associations were independent of age, sex, race, poverty status, and education and were generally not moderated by these factors. These findings support the associations between personality and cognition across race and SES.

Neighborhood disadvantage is associated with working memory and hippocampal volumes among older adults.

It is not well understood how neighborhood disadvantage is associated with specific domains of cognitive function and underlying brain health within older adults. Thus, the objective was to examine associations between neighborhood disadvantage, brain health, and cognitive performance, and examine whether associations were more pronounced among women. The study included 136 older adults who underwent cognitive testing and MRI. Neighborhood disadvantage was characterized using the Area Deprivation Index (ADI). Descriptive statistics, bivariate correlations, and multiple regressions were run. Multiple regressions, adjusted for age, sex, education, and depression, showed that higher ADI state rankings (greater disadvantage) were associated with poorer working memory performance (p < .01) and lower hippocampal volumes (p < .01), but not total, frontal, and white matter lesion volumes, nor visual and verbal memory performance. There were no significant sex interactions. Findings suggest that greater neighborhood disadvantage may play a role in working memory and underlying brain structure.

Purpose in Life and Cognitive Function: Evidence for Momentary Associations in Daily Life.

Background and Objectives: Purpose in life is associated with healthier cognitive outcomes in older adulthood. This research examines within-person dynamics between momentary purpose and cognitive function to provide proof of concept that increases in purpose are associated with better cognitive performance. Research Design and Methods: Participants (N = 303; 54% female; Mage = 51.71, SD = 7.32) completed smartphone-based momentary assessments of purpose and short cognitive tasks 3 times a day for 8 days. Results: In moments when participants felt more purpose driven than their average, they had faster processing speed (b = -1.240, SE = 0.194; p < .001), independent of person, temporal, and contextual factors and practice effects. Momentary purpose was unrelated to visual working memory performance (b = -0.001, SE = 0.001; p = .475). In contrast to purpose, momentary hedonic affect (e.g., happiness) was unrelated to momentary cognition. Discussion and Implications: Feeling more momentary purpose may support faster processing speed in daily life. Such evidence provides stage 0 support for a purpose-based intervention for healthier cognition, which may be particularly useful in middle adulthood and the transition to older adulthood before the onset of cognitive impairment.

Love, health, and the 'hood: An examination of romantic relationship adjustment and perceived neighborhood quality as predictors of partnered Black Americans' long-term psychological health.

Existing disparities regarding Black Americans' psychological health warrant further investigation of socioecological factors that may be associated with negative and positive dimensions of psychological health in this population. Romantic relationship functioning and neighborhood context are two domains relevant to Black Americans' mental health. However, less is known about how they may serve as independent and interactive prospective predictors of Black Americans' psychological health and potentially in distinctive ways for Black men and women. Using data from 333 partnered Black Americans who participated in the Midlife in the United States study, we investigated relationship adjustment and neighborhood quality as independent and interactive predictors of negative and positive affect 10 years later and examined gender differences in these linkages. Higher neighborhood quality predicted lower levels of negative affect and higher levels of positive affect for both men and women a decade later. Additionally, for Black men, the longitudinal association between relationship adjustment and negative affect differed by neighborhood quality such that better relationship adjustment predicted higher subsequent negative affect only for men in lower quality neighborhoods. Findings demonstrate the connections among romantic relationship functioning, ecological resources, and gender in this population and highlight the importance of incorporating socioecological and intersectional perspectives for predicting Black Americans' long-term psychological health. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

The promotion of sleep wellness: Resilience as a protective factor.

Objectives: To evaluate the association between resilience, sleep quality, and health. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 190 patients (Mean age = 51, SD = 15.57) recruited from the Johns Hopkins Center for Sleep and Wellness. Patients completed a modified version of the brief resilience scale (BRS) to assess characteristics of resilience and questions to assess aspects of mental health, physical health, sleep quality, and daytime functioning. Results: Participants' average score on the BRS was 4.67 (SD = 1.32, range = 1.17-7), reflecting a high level of resilience. There was a significant gender difference in resilience levels for men (Mean = 5.04, SD = 1.14) and women (Mean = 4.30, SD = 1.38), such that men reported significantly higher levels of resilience compared to women (t (188) = 4.02, p < 0.001) [lower levels of resilience were significantly associated with higher levels of (current) fatigue and tiredness after adjusting for demographic, physical, and mental covariates. In those reporting between one and three mental health symptoms, high levels of resilience minimized the negative influence that these symptoms had on sleep quality. This minimizing effect was no longer evident in those experiencing >3 mental health symptoms, who also reported significantly higher symptoms of fatigue despite their high resilience scores. Conclusions: This study emphasizes how resilience may affect the relationship between mental health and sleep quality in sleep patients. Resilience may further our understanding of the inter-relationships between sleep and the manifestation of physical health symptoms, a relationship that will likely heighten in relevance during personal and global crisis. An awareness of this interaction could be used as a proactive prevention and treatment strategy. In other words, incorporating methods to evaluate resilience in patients with mental illnesses regularly can be useful for predicting the potential manifestation and severity of sleep disturbance. Therefore, strategies that focus on promoting resilience could improve health and wellness.

Discrimination and Education Quality Moderate the Association of Sleep With Cognitive Function in Older Black Adults: Results From the Einstein Aging Study.

OBJECTIVES: Heterogeneity among Black adults' experiences of discrimination and education quality independently influence cognitive function and sleep, and may also influence the extent to which sleep is related to cognitive function. We investigated the effect of discrimination on the relationship between objective sleep characteristics and cognitive function in older Black adults with varying education quality. METHOD: Cross-sectional analyses include Black participants in the Einstein Aging Study (N = 104, mean age = 77.2 years, 21% males). Sleep measures were calculated from wrist actigraphy (15.4 ± 1.3 days). Mean ambulatory cognitive function (i.e., spatial working memory, processing speed/visual attention, and short-term memory binding) was assessed with validated smartphone-based cognitive tests (6 daily). A modified Williams Everyday Discrimination Scale measured discriminatory experiences. Linear regression, stratified by reading literacy (an indicator of education quality), was conducted to investigate whether discrimination moderated associations between sleep and ambulatory cognitive function for individuals with varying reading literacy levels. Models controlled for age, income, sleep-disordered breathing, and sex assigned at birth. RESULTS: Higher reading literacy was associated with better cognitive performance. For participants with both lower reading literacy and more discriminatory experiences, longer mean sleep time was associated with slower processing speed, and lower sleep quality was associated with worse working memory. Later sleep midpoint and longer nighttime sleep were associated with worse spatial working memory for participants with low reading literacy, independent of their discriminatory experiences. DISCUSSION: Sociocultural factors (i.e., discrimination and education quality) can further explain the association between sleep and cognitive functioning and cognitive impairment risk among older Black adults.

Differential Associations Between the Area Deprivation Index and Measures of Physical Health for Older Black Adults.

OBJECTIVES: This study explored the association between place-based characteristics (e.g., neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation) and physical health within older Black adults, a critical gap in the literature as identified by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. METHODS: The sample was from Wave 1 data of Baltimore Study of Black Aging: Patterns of Cognitive Aging (N = 450; Mage = 68.34). Variables included the area deprivation index (ADI), objective (e.g., average blood pressure) and subjective (e.g., self-rated health) measures of physical health. Multiple linear regression models were conducted controlling for key sociodemographic characteristics. RESULTS: Participants reporting better self-rated health and less likely to need help with activities of daily living were significantly more likely to be living in more disadvantaged neighborhoods based on national and state ADI, respectively, even after adjusting for covariates. A significant age and ADI interaction revealed better self-rated health was associated with a more disadvantaged neighborhood particularly for individuals ≤66 years. There was no significant association between ADI and objective physical health measures. DISCUSSION: The findings suggest that national- and state-level place-based characteristics should be considered along with individual-level factors, which can enrich the scientific understanding of how neighborhood characteristics relate to varying health indicators among older Black adults.

Race differences in intellectual control beliefs and cognitive functioning.

UNLABELLED: BACKGROUND/STUDY CONTEXT: The current study examined the relationship between intellectual control and cognition and related the results to everyday problem solving in a mixed ethnicity sample of 35% African American and 65% Caucasian elders. METHODS: Participants completed the Personality in Intellectual Aging Contexts Inventory (PIC; Lachman et al., 1982 , Journal of Research in Personality, 16, 485-501), Everyday Cognition Battery (ECB; Allaire & Marsiske, 1999 , Psychology & Aging, 14, 627-644; 2002 , Psychology & Aging, 17, 101-115), and a battery of basic cognitive ability tests assessing memory, inductive reasoning, and verbal meaning. RESULTS: Results indicated that African Americans had significantly lower intellectual control beliefs relative to Caucasian older adults. Regression models suggested that relationship between control beliefs and cognition was moderated by education and race. Decomposing the interactions with simple slope analysis revealed that across cognitive abilities, better cognitive performance was related to higher control beliefs in African Americans with at least 13 years of education. A similar relationship was also found in Caucasian elders with lower education. CONCLUSION: African American elders' reaching a higher level of education may provide a basis for which individual differences in intellectual control beliefs are activated and thereby more strongly associated with cognitive performance.

Exploring the Association Between Affect and Leisure Activity Engagement in Black Adults.

OBJECTIVES: This study examined engagement levels across various domains of leisure activities in community-dwelling Black adults (age range = 50-80 years) and variability in daily leisure activity engagement and positive affect (PA; positive emotions or mood) and negative affect (NA; negative emotions or mood). Additionally, we explored whether PA and NA were associated with leisure activity engagement and whether these associations varied by sociodemographics. METHODS: Fifty adults (78% women; mean education = 11.62 years, standard deviation = 2.4) reported affect and leisure activity engagement over 8 occasions (2-3 weeks). RESULTS: Participants averaged 3 leisure activities/day with more engagement in watching television (news), walking, reading, and visiting others. Multilevel models identified significant within-person variation across domains of leisure activity engagement. A significant main effect was observed between daily NA and reduced social activity engagement. A significant interaction between NA and education was further illustrated on those occasions when NA was higher than usual, social and total leisure activity engagement tended to be lower, particularly for adults with ≤10 years of education. A significant interaction between NA and education was observed for entertainment activities. However, results indicated adults with ≥14 years of education, and a mean NA above the sample average, tended to engage in more entertainment activities. Finally, a significant interaction between PA and age was observed indicating adults aged ≥73 had a greater social engagement, particularly when daily PA was heightened. DISCUSSION: Results demonstrate within-person changes in the types of leisure engagement among Black adults. Potential factors related to these changes may result from interconnections between affect and demographic factors (age and education).

Subjective memory in older African Americans.

The current analysis examined (a) if measures of psychological well-being predict subjective memory, and (b) if subjective memory is consistent with actual memory. Five hundred seventy-nine older African Americans from the Baltimore Study of Black Aging completed measures assessing subjective memory, depressive symptomatology, perceived stress, locus of control, and verbal and working memory. Higher levels of perceived stress and greater externalized locus of control predicted poorer subjective memory, but subjective memory did not predict objective verbal or working memory. Results suggest that subjective memory is influenced by aspects of psychological well-being but is unrelated to objective memory in older African Americans.

Use of multilevel modeling to examine variability of distracted driving behavior in naturalistic driving studies.

Current methods of analyzing data from naturalistic driving studies provide important insights into real-world safety-related driving behaviors, but are limited in the depth of information they currently offer. Driving measures are frequently collapsed to summary levels across the study period, excluding more fine-grained differences such as changes that occur from trip to trip. By retaining trip-specific data, it is possible to quantify how much a driver differs from trip to trip (within-person variability) in addition to how he or she differs from other drivers (between-person variability). To the authors' knowledge, the current study is the first to use multilevel modeling to quantify variability in distracted driving behavior in a naturalistic dataset of older drivers. The current study demonstrates the utility of examining within-person variability in a naturalistic driving dataset of 68 older drivers across two weeks. First, multilevel models were conducted for three distracted driving behaviors to distinguish within-person variability from between-person variability in these behaviors. A high percentage of variation in distracted driving behaviors was attributable to within-person differences, indicating that drivers' behaviors varied more across their own driving trips than from other drivers (ICCs = .93). Then, to demonstrate the utility of personal characteristics in predicting daily driving behavior, a hypothetical model is presented using simulated daily sleep duration from the previous night to predict distracted driving behavior the following day. The current study demonstrates substantial variability in driving behaviors within an older adult sample and the promise of individual characteristics to provide better prediction of driving behaviors relevant to safety, which can be applied in investigations of current naturalistic driving datasets and in designing future studies.