Synergistic influence of education and marriage on the risk for cognition loss among the older people in China

AIM: The study aimed to prove that both rationality and emotion are indispensable for older people to maintain their ability to live independently during the twilight of their lives. The resilience of older people to dementia were investigated by considering the interactions between educational levels and marriage status. DESIGN: A quantitative study was conducted using questionnaires. METHODS: Four sociodemographic variables (age, sex, educational level and marital status) were collected from 1,177 older Chinese participants, whose mini‐mental state examination scores (MMSE scores) were measured. RESULTS: A lower educational level coupled with being widowed caused a greater risk for severe cognitive impairment (relative risk [RR] 1.48; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.20–1.82; p < .001) for high‐aged older participants (age range: ≥80) than for their low‐aged counterparts (age range: ≥60 and <80). In contrast, a higher educational level coupled with being married levelled this age‐related risk for cognitive loss (RR 0.91; 95% CI 0.65–1.27; p = .62).