How relationships in senior housing affect memory and thinking for older immigrants

Social Interactions and Cognitive Health in Older Immigrants: Bonding/Bridging/Bullying in Senior Housing

['FUNDING_R21'] · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · NIH-11141732

This project looks at how education, cultural adaptation, and different kinds of social contact (close-knit ties, cross-group connections, or bullying) are linked to thinking and memory in older immigrants who live in senior housing.

Quick facts

Phase['FUNDING_R21']
Study typeNih_funding
SexAll
SponsorUNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (nih funded)
Locations1 site (Los Angeles, UNITED STATES)
Trial IDNIH-11141732 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this research studies

If you join, researchers will ask about your background (like education and how you adapt to life in the U.S.) and about your day-to-day social life in senior housing. They will ask about close social ties, connections with people from other groups, and any negative social interactions such as bullying. You will be asked to complete brief cognitive tests and questionnaires. The team will analyze whether social interactions change how education and acculturation relate to memory and thinking.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Older adults born outside the United States who live in senior or assisted housing and are willing to complete brief interviews and cognitive tests are ideal candidates.

Not a fit: People who do not live in senior housing, are not immigrants, or who have very advanced dementia may not directly benefit from this observational work.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: Results could help design social programs or policies in senior housing to protect memory and thinking by strengthening helpful relationships and reducing harmful interactions.

How similar studies have performed: Prior research links social ties and education to dementia risk, but studying bonding, bridging, and bullying specifically among older immigrants in senior housing is a newer approach with limited prior work.

Where this research is happening

Los Angeles, UNITED STATES

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.

View on NIH RePORTER →

Conditions: Alzheimer's disease and related dementia, Alzheimer's disease and related disorders, Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia, Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder, Alzheimer's disease or related dementia

Last reviewed 2026-05-15 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.