PSC’s Brown Bag seminar series typically convenes Mondays at noon, at ISR Thompson Room 1430, and on Zoom.

Kim Korinek (Utah) joins us Oct. 28

Exposures to Violence and Adversities of War in Early Life and Risk for Late-Life Cognitive Impairment in Vietnamese Older Adults – A Life Course Perspective

Rates of Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias (ADRD) are rising in many rapidly aging low-to-middle-income countries (LMICs) that have witnessed significant violence and upheaval due to armed conflict. Consequently, older adults exposed to diverse, often severe, war-related stressors at various sensitive stages in early life may experience heightened risk for cognitive impairment and dementia, with the potential to exacerbate already significant burdens upon caregivers and healthcare systems. This paper draws on the Vietnam Health and Aging Study (VHAS), with baseline data collected in a sample of 2,447 older adults in 2018, and follow-up data collection conducted in 2021-22, to investigate the relationship between early-life exposures to war-related violence and deprivation and cognitive impairment in late adulthood.  Our analyses are rooted in “long arm” life course perspectives emphasizing the enduring consequences of early life adversities and stress proliferation in the production of health disparities. Structural equation models estimating war exposure’s direct and indirect effects on late-life cognitive impairment, as assessed by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and as mediated by cardiometabolic health, post-traumatic stress disorder, and social engagement, provide preliminary evidence that those with greater exposure to war violence and adversity are more likely to experience cognitive impairment in late life. We discuss study results and future research plans in light of theories of the etiology of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) and prevention strategies for Vietnam and scores of other countries aging in the wake of armed conflict. 

Kim Korinek is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Utah. She conducts research in social demography and health, with a focus on trauma, adversity, and health over the life course; immigrant fertility and maternal/child health; and health disparities, especially among immigrant and conflict-affected populations. As lead PI for the Vietnam Health and Aging Study (VHAS), Professor Korinek and her colleagues have created a social survey and biomarker data resource for examining the long-term impacts of war experiences and trauma exposures over the life course as they influence health and aging among Vietnamese older adults. She has authored numerous publications investigating the social, biological, and psychological mechanisms linking early life war exposures to cognitive impairment, functional health, frailty, somatic conditions, psychological disorders, and a range of noncommunicable diseases. Professor Korinek is committed to international efforts in research capacity building and professional development for junior social scientists. As PI of the Mekong Region Development Research Group, funded by the Henry Luce Foundation from 2013 to 2024, she created and led programs of scholarly exchange and mentorship to advance collaborative research on transnational human development, health, and demographic issues in Southeast Asia. Korinek also co-directs the Population, Health and Armed Conflict network (PHAC), a community of over 50 scholars promoting research and scholarly exchange on issues of war, demography and public health. 

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