Family availability and memory function and decline among adults aged ≥51 in England and the United States, 2004–2019

Among aging US adults, joint spousal and child availability may support better later-life memory function, yet faster memory decline, consistent with a cognitive reserve mechanism. The lack of dose-response relationships suggests diminishing returns with increasing levels of family availability beyond the presence of a spouse or child. Cross-national heterogeneity in these associations between the US and England may imply effect modification by social safety net contexts, although further investigation is needed.