Psychology and Aging最新文献

Both older and younger employees are stereotyped at work, making them susceptible to age-based stereotype threat or the concern about being negatively stereotyped based on their age. To date, there is limited understanding of the workplace events that spark age-based stereotype threat and the mechanisms through which they do so. The current daily diary study aimed to assess the frequency with which older and younger employees experience various events that have been identified as potential antecedents of age-based stereotype threat (e.g., being overlooked for training or development opportunities, feeling excluded from informal socializing) as well as their association with experiences of stereotype threat. As predicted, we found that employees who reported more frequent experiences of these events subsequently reported greater feelings of stereotype threat. This association was partially mediated by the capacity of these events to increase the salience of a participant's age. There was also evidence of reciprocal association, whereby employees who felt more stereotype threat were also more likely to subsequently report experiencing these events. Employee age did not moderate the relationship between daily feelings of stereotype threat and daily outcomes, suggesting that everyday feelings of stereotype threat may be equally problematic for both older and younger employees. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

To contribute to our understanding of cohort differences and the Flynn effect in the cognitive decline among older Americans, this study aims to compare rates of cognitive decline between two birth cohorts within a study of older Americans and to examine the importance of medical and demographic confounders. Analyses used data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (2011-2019), which recruited older Americans in 2011 and again in 2015 who were then followed for 5 years. We employed mixed-effect models to examine the linear and quadratic main and interaction effects of year of birth while adjusting for covariates such as annual round, sex/gender, education, race/ethnicity, heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, test unfamiliarity, and survey design. We analyzed data from 11,167 participants: 7,325 from 2011 to 2015 and 3,842 from 2015 to 2019. The cohort recruited in 2015 was born, on average, 5.33 years later than that recruited in 2011 and had higher functioning than the one recruited in 2011 across all observed cognitive domains that persisted after adjusting for covariates. In multivariable-adjusted analyses, a 1-year increase in year of birth was associated with increased episodic memory (β = 0.045, SE = 0.001, p < .001), orientation (β = 0.034, SE = 0.001, p < .001), and executive function (β = 0.036, SE = 0.001, p < .001). Participants born 1 year later had slower rates of decline in episodic memory (β = 0.004, SE = 0.000, p < .001), orientation (β = 0.003, SE = 0.000, p < .001), and executive function (β = 0.001, SE = 0.000, p = .002). Additionally, sex/gender modified this relationship for episodic memory (-0.007, SE = 0.002, p < .001), orientation (-0.005, SE = 0.002, p = .008), and executive function (-0.008, SE = 0.002, p < .001). These results demonstrate the persistence of the Flynn effect in old age across cognitive domains and identified a deceleration in the rate of cognitive decline across cognitive domains. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The present study aimed to characterize profiles of cognitive aging and how these can be predicted from interindividual differences in demographic, lifestyle, health, and genetic factors. The participants were 1,966 older adults (mean baseline age = 71.6 years; 62.9% female), free from dementia at baseline and with at least two cognitive assessments over the 15-year follow-up, from the population-based Swedish National Study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen. The cognitive assessment comprised tests of semantic and episodic memory, letter and category fluency, perceptual speed, and executive function. First, we estimated the level and change within each of the cognitive domains with linear mixed effect models, based on which we grouped our sample into participants with "maintained high cognition," "moderate cognitive decline," or "accelerated cognitive decline." Second, we analyzed determinants of group membership within each cognitive domain with multinomial logistic regression. Third, group memberships within each cognitive domain were used to derive general cognitive aging profiles with latent class analysis. Fourth, the determinants of these profile memberships were analyzed with multinomial logistic regression. Follow-up analyses targeted profiles and predictors specifically related to the rate of cognitive change. We identified three latent profiles of overall cognitive performance during the follow-up period with 31.6% of the sample having maintained high cognition, 50.6% having moderate cognitive decline, and 17.8% having accelerated cognitive decline. In multiadjusted analyses, maintained high cognition was predicted by female sex, higher education, and faster walking speed. Smoking, loneliness, and being an ε4 carrier were associated with a lower likelihood of maintained high cognition. Higher age, diagnosis of diabetes, depression, and carrying the apolipoprotein E ε4 allele increased the likelihood of accelerated cognitive decline. Factors at baseline that could significantly predict profile membership within the specific cognitive domains included age, sex, years of education, walking speed, diabetes, and the ε4 allele. Of note, these factors differed across cognitive domains. In sum, we identified demographic, lifestyle, health, and genetic factors of interindividual differences in domain-specific and general cognitive aging profiles, some of which are modifiable. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the Residential Care Transition Module, a six-session, psychosocial, and psychoeducational telehealth intervention for family caregivers of cognitively impaired relatives living in a residential long-term care setting. Eligible participants (including care recipients, regardless of time since admission) were randomized to treatment or usual care control conditions. Survey data were collected at baseline, 4 months, 8 months, and 12 months (N = 240). Primary analytic outcomes included caregiver subjective stress (a stress process mechanism) and depressive symptoms (a measure of global well-being). Secondary analytic outcomes included secondary role strains, residential care stress, caregiver sense of competence, and self-efficacy (additional mechanisms of action). General linear models tested for the main effects of the intervention at 4 months, and longitudinal mixed models examined the 12-month effects of the intervention. Post hoc analyses also examined the influence of moderators. No significant differences between the treatment and control groups for any primary analytic outcome were apparent. Caregivers in the treatment group whose relatives were admitted to residential long-term care in the prior 3 months were more likely to indicate reductions in depressive symptoms over the first 4 months of participation. Over the 12-month study period, caregivers in the treatment group who were employed reported increased self-efficacy over time. The heterogeneity of dementia care requires a broader consideration of key contextual factors that may influence the efficacy of nonpharmacological interventions. Aligning measures with the preferences, goals, and values of dementia caregivers may further demonstrate the direct benefits of interventions such as the Residential Care Transition Module. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Age-related declines in the frequency of mind-wandering are well established. Theories of mind-wandering have attempted to explain why this decline occurs, but no one theory firmly predicts such changes. One problem with these theoretical views, and the studies that have grown out of them, is their reliance on cross-sectional methods, which do not account for within-person changes over time in mind-wandering, and it is well-documented that cross-sectional and longitudinal changes in some cognitive domains do not align. We present a novel analysis of longitudinal change in subjective and objective indicators of mind-wandering during a sustained attention task. Cognitively normal adults (N = 277, age range 42-94) completed a sustained attention task with thought probes to measure mind-wandering repeatedly over several years. Linear mixed effect models revealed baseline differences in subjective mind-wandering reports among middle-aged and older adults. However, longitudinally, middle-aged participants showed a significant increase in subjective mind-wandering, whereas older participants showed no change. Changes in mind-wandering could not be explained by attentional control ability or contemporaneous estimates of interest and perceived difficulty, but they were explained by baseline levels of conscientiousness. Objective measures of mind-wandering did not show these same patterns and were largely only associated with participants perceived difficulty. Our results build on previous cross-sectional research and suggest that incorporating longitudinal analyses into theories of ageing and mind-wandering and mind-wandering more broadly is important for refining these theories. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Little is known about birth cohort differences in the impact of stroke on cognitive aging. Given improved poststroke rehabilitation and better treatments for vascular health risk, we may expect a reduction in the stroke impact in later-born cohorts. We tested this prediction using data from two cohorts, born in 1901-1907 (n = 1,155) and 1930 (n = 919), identified from the same city population at the same age of 70 and subsequently measured on the same cognitive outcomes (i.e., spatial ability, perceptual-motor speed, and reasoning) at ages 70, 75, 79, and 85. We fitted multiple-group second-order latent growth curve models to the data, regressing the first-order cognitive factor on the time-varying stroke variable and controlling for relevant covariates. Findings revealed moderate to large average cognitive decline (d = -.45) following stroke, and the impact was relatively similar across cohorts (1901-1907: d = -.52; 1930: d = -.39). However, there was a stroke by age by cohort interaction, implying that the stroke impact increased with age in the 1901-1907 cohort (d_age ≤ 75 = -.42; d_age ≥ 79 = -.70) but decreased in the 1930 cohort (dage ≤ 75 = -.53; d_age ≥ 79 = -.17). We found no evidence for lagged effect of stroke beyond the impact on measures following the incidence. Our hypothesis was only partially supported, as the impact of stroke was reduced in the later-born cohort but solely at higher ages. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Appearance is an indicator of age and life stage, which are linked to socially salient stereotypes and prejudices. Older adults' appearance-related perceptions and behaviors may affect their experiences of aging within broader society, which may in turn influence health. This study examined associations between two measures related to aging appearance-assessment of one's aging appearance relative to same-age peers and investing time or effort to look younger-positive and negative experiences of aging, and health using multivariable regression. Cross-sectional data were from a nationally representative sample of 2006 U.S. adults ages 50-80 (M_age = 63, 52% women, 71% White) who completed Wave 6 of the National Poll on Healthy Aging in 2019. The majority (59%) reported appearing relatively younger than peers, while fewer reported appearing the same age (35%) or older (6%). About a third (35%) reported investing in looking younger. Appearing relatively younger was associated with more positive (p < .001) and less negative experiences of aging (p = .019). Appearing relatively older showed the opposite relationships (p values < .001). Investing in looking younger was associated with more positive and more negative experiences of aging (p values < .001). Few sociodemographic variations were detected. More positive and less negative experiences of aging were associated with better physical and mental health (p values < .001). While aging appearance is often the basis for jokes, it may affect the quality of older adults' experiences of aging and associated health outcomes. Nuanced findings caution against framing youthful biases in aging appearance and investments in looking younger as solely negative (or positive). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Research suggests that how people feel about aging can contribute to their later physical, cognitive, and mental health. In two studies, we examined younger (ages 18-30) and older adults' (ages 61-70) views about aging by asking them to rate the extent to which they would find it desirable to be various ages between 0 and 120. Participants also indicated both their ideal age (the age at which they would most like to be) and their subjective age (how old they generally feel). Consistent with the previous studies, younger adults' ideal age was significantly younger than older adults' ideal age. Younger adults' subjective age was slightly older than their chronological age, whereas older adults' subjective age was slightly younger than their chronological age. Of interest was the finding that, for older adults, their desirability ratings of various ages gradually decreased after age 35. In contrast, younger adults' desirability ratings decreased precipitously after age 20 and remained low from age 45 through age 90. Results suggest that older adults view middle to later life in a more nuanced manner than younger adults, who viewed middle and later life as being undesirable and homogenous. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Experiencing pain in middle adulthood and old age might be interpreted as a sign of aging and make people feel older, whereas feeling older has behavioral, motivational, and physiological consequences that might increase the risk of pain. We investigated between-person and within-person associations between pain, subjective age, and chronological age in middle-aged and older adults. Data from the German Ageing Survey were used (n = 13,874 who provided more than 32,000 observations, baseline mean age = 62.3 years). The observation period comprised up to 13 years (M = 4 years) and five (M = 2.4) measurement occasions. Based on the longitudinal multilevel regression models, we found significant between-person and within-person effects in both directions, which were small but robust when controlling for sociodemographic variables, depressive symptoms, and number of chronic diseases. At the between-person level, participants reporting overall more severe pain also felt older than others. Likewise, those who felt overall older than others reported more pain. At the within-person level, when participants experienced more pain than they usually do, they also reported feeling older than usual. Likewise, on measurement occasions when participants reported feeling older than usual, they reported more pain than usual. Additionally, those with overall stronger pain exhibited steeper age-related increases in their subjective age than those with less severe pain. Our findings suggest that an older subjective age may operate as both antecedent and consequence of pain, and pain might prompt a steeper increase in subjective age over time. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The COVID-19 pandemic was not only a biological challenge, but it also took a toll on the psychological and social well-being of older adults, especially those in nursing homes. This study aims to uncover the impact of the pandemic on the biopsychosocial well-being of nursing home residents, including the role of COVID-19 positivity and social contacts. Using a sample of 247 individuals in two Northern Italian nursing homes over 3 years (2018-2021), the study analyzed a broad range of biopsychosocial variables and traced the frequency of social contacts during the lockdown. The results showed a concerning trend of worsening well-being over time during the pandemic, irrespective of COVID-19 positivity. Surprisingly, the frequency of contacts with family caregivers did not seem to have a protective role, and worsening conditions were associated with an increase in subsequent social contacts. These findings shed light on the dynamics of the biopsychosocial well-being of institutionalized individuals, and they have significant public health implications. By disentangling the roles of the pandemic period, COVID-19 positivity, and social contacts, this study provides insights into the worsening of neuropsychiatric symptoms, as well as functional and clinical indicators, in nursing home residents. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).