Neurocognitive disparities: investigating ethnicity and mental health in rural aging adults

Findings revealed that Hispanic rural aging adults scored lower on neurocognitive functioning compared to non-Hispanic White rural aging adults, irrespective of depression or anxiety. Depression and anxiety contributed to lower scores on neurocognitive functioning-yet this finding was not as robust. Culturally tailored interventions targeting risk factors for neurocognitive impairment in Hispanic rural aging adults are imperative to mitigate neurocognitive disparities. One possible reason for differences in neurocognitive functioning between Hispanic individuals and non-Hispanic individuals is stress as ethnic health disparities have been found to be shaped by a diverse range of lifetime stressors that are disproportionally exacerbated for ethnic minorities.