Only child or multiple children? The number of children and cognition in older Chinese parents

Objectives

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the number of children and cognitive function trajectories among older Chinese parents.

Methods

A total of 6723 individuals (55% men) aged 50 years and older were followed for 7 years as part of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Cognitive function was assessed through episodic memory and mental status tests. The number of children was dichotomised as ‘only child’ and ‘multiple children’. Linear mixed models were used, with the number of children at baseline as the predictor. Covariates including social-demographic factors, health behaviours and health status were adjusted.

Results

Parents with multiple children had poorer baseline cognitive functions (episodic memory: B = −.17, p < .001; mental status: B = −.25, p < .001) and experienced a faster cognitive decline during the follow-up period (episodic memory: B = −.05, p < .001; mental status: B = −.03, p = .005) compared to those with only one child. Gender-stratified analyses indicated that women were more susceptible to cognitive decline than men as the number of children increased.

Conclusions

This study found a negative correlation between the number of children and cognitive performance among older Chinese parents, with the association being stronger in women. These findings enhance the understanding of the impact of offspring on parental well-being in non-Western societies.