Stress internalization is a significant risk factor for age-related cognitive decline in older Chinese Americans, according to Rutgers Health researchers.

Their study examined multiple risk and resilience factors associated with cognitive decline in Chinese adults older than 60. The researchers chose to study this population because older Chinese Americans are historically underrepresented in brain aging research.

The model minority stereotype – which portrays Asian Americans as consistently successful, educated and healthy – is a unique factor facing this population and their mental health, the researchers said. In this context, older Asian Americans may endure stress from experiencing language and cultural barriers, as may other immigrant groups.

“Stress and hopelessness may go unnoticed in aging populations, yet they play a critical role in how the brain ages,” said . Michelle Chen, a core member of the Center for Healthy Aging Research at Rutgers and lead author of the study. “Because these feelings are modifiable, our goal is for this research to inform culturally sensitive stress-reduction interventions to mitigate these feelings in older adults.”

The researchers analyzed data from the largest community-based cohort study on older Chinese Americans, the Population Study of ChINese Elderly (PINE), which included interviews conducted between 2011 to 2017 with more than 1,500 participants in the Chicago area. They focused on three sociobehavioral factors examined through the study: stress internalization, neighborhood or community cohesion, and external stress alleviation.

They found that stress internalization, consisting of hopelessness or a tendency to absorb and internalize stressful experiences, showed a strong association with memory decline over three waves of the PINE study. The other factors weren’t associated with a decline in memory functioning over time.

To download the study, published in The Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer s Disease, click here