2023 Alzheimer's Association Research Fellowship to Promote Diversity (AARF-D)

The Role of Gender-Based Violence in Later-Life Cognitive Disparities

How might experiencing gender-based violence impact women’s late-life cognition? 

Douglas William Hanes, Ph.D.
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, NY - United States

Background

According to the 2023 Alzheimer’s Association Facts and Figures report, almost two-thirds of Americans with Alzheimer’s are women. Researchers are studying different explanations for this disparity. One idea is that because men tend to live shorter lives than women, they are more likely to die from other causes first. However, women may also face different risks for dementia. One of these may be experiencing gender-based violence (GBV), including intimate partner violence, sexual harassment, and sexual violence. GBV may be related directly to Alzheimer’s risk as many victims of GBV experience traumatic brain injuries, which are known to increase the risk of dementia. GBV may also indirectly impact Alzheimer’s risk by limiting women’s opportunities for education and careers, both of which may be protective against cognitive decline.  

Gender-based violence is a common feature of many women’s lives, especially women of marginalized groups, such as women of color and immigrants. Yet little is known about whether and how GBV may impact women’s later-life cognitive health and Alzheimer’s risk.

Research Plan

To study whether GBV is related to Alzheimer’s risk, Dr. Douglas Hanes and colleagues will leverage data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). The HRS is a long-term study of U.S. adults ages 51 and older that assesses cognition and includes demographic information and life history data. 

The researchers will use statistics to test whether historic rates of GBV impact women’s subsequent cognitive health and the disparities between men’s and women’s risk of Alzheimer’s. They will also study whether state policies to address GBV are associated with decreasing disparities between men’s and women’s Alzheimer’s risk. In addition, the team will study whether specific factors related to GBV, including experiencing a physical attack or traumatic brain injury, education level, and employment outside the home, impact women’s Alzheimer’s risk later in life. Finally, Dr. Hanes and colleagues will also incorporate race/ethnic and socioeconomic data into all their analyses, to study how these factors interact with GBV and Alzheimer’s risk. 

Impact

The findings may contribute to our understanding of existing sex and gender disparities in Alzheimer’s risk and incidence.