Apolipoprotein ε4 Allele and Subjective Cognitive Functioning in Parents of Adults With Disabilities

Objectives: Parents of individuals with disabilities face ongoing responsibilities of providing care and support for their children, even during the child's adulthood. Past research has shown that this caregiving role is linked to chronic stress and subsequent adverse health outcomes for parents, including impaired cognition. This study examines the impacts of genetic risk for cognitive impairment (apolipoprotein [APOE] epsilon 4 allele) among parents of adults with disabilities and comparison parents whose adult children do not have disabilities. Method: We performed rank order regression analysis of data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (2004-2006 and 2010-2012 surveys and DNA samples). Participants included parents of adults with disabilities (247 mothers and 159 fathers) and comparison parents whose adult children were not disabled (1,482 mothers and 954 fathers). Results: Mothers who had adult children with disabilities and who were APOE epsilon 4 carriers reported significantly declining levels of subjective cognitive functioning over time, but mothers of adults with disabilities who did not have the APOE epsilon 4 allele did not manifest this change. Among comparison group mothers, cognitive change over time was not a function of their APOE epsilon 4 carrier status. Fathers' cognitive function did not differ significantly by either parental status or APOE epsilon 4 carrier status. Discussion: The results show that older mothers of adults with disabilities are more susceptible to cognitive impairment than their age peers if they have the genetic risk factor of APOE epsilon 4 allele.