Peer-reviewed article

Adult children's education and trajectories of Chinese parents' cognitive function: gender differences and the underlying mechanisms.

Zhang L, Zhu S · 1 Sept 2026

Abstract

Objectives Although prior literature documented the positive effect of adult children's education on parental cognitive function, research investigating trajectories of Chinese parents' cognitive function owing to adult children's education remains sparse. This study examined Chinese parents' cognitive trajectories predicted by the schooling years of the best-educated adult child through constructing parent-child gender dyads. It further proposes several mechanisms linking adult children's education to parental cognition. Methods Multilevel growth models nesting time-points within individuals and chain multiple mediation models are constructed to analyze five waves (2011-2020) of panel data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). The sample comprises 1,021 balanced panel observations of parents aged 45-80, which yields 5,105 person-waves. Results The results showed that adult children's education has a significant protective effect on parental cognitive function and on the deceleration of parental cognitive decline trajectories. The protective effect exhibits gender-based heterogeneity: sons' education has a stronger protective effect than that of daughters, especially for fathers. The mother-daughter subgroup shows the greatest decline in parental cognitive function. Findings also demonstrate that digital access, social participation, and the chain mediation (digital access social participation) are underlying mechanisms linking adult children's education to parental cognitive function. Discussion Findings of this study have important policy implications for implementing effective programs to prevent the decline of older adults' cognitive function in societies such as China, where support for older adults still heavily relies on the family system and adult children.