Trajectories of Parent-Child Relationship Quality and Cognitive Function among Older Adults: Differences between Mothers and Fathers

The present study examined heterogeneity in trajectories of positive and negative parent–child relationship quality (RQ) and their associations with older parents’ cognitive function. Data came from 7,217 older adults ( M age = 73.57, SD = 9.38; 62% women) in the Health and Retirement Study, using pooled samples (2006/2008, 2010/2012, 2014/2016, 2018/2020). Growth mixture modeling identified five latent trajectory groups for both positive and negative RQ: high-stable (69%/5%), moderate (16%/23%), increasing (8%/3%), decreasing (3%/8%), and low-stable (5%/62%). Structural equation modeling showed that older parents in the increasing negative RQ trajectory group had poorer cognitive function, whereas those in the low-stable negative RQ trajectory group had better cognitive function. Multiple-group approach showed no significant gender differences in these associations between older mothers and fathers. Findings highlight the unique role of long-term older parent-child relationship patterns in shaping cognitive health, with practical implications for promoting cognitive function in later life.