Aging & Mental Health最新文献

Objectives: Late adulthood is marked by challenges that impact well-being. While perceived health, wisdom, and positive attitudes toward aging correlate with better mental health in later life, their interrelations are not well understood. This study explored if three-dimensional wisdom could buffer the negative impact of poor physical health on mental health, and if positive attitudes toward aging mediated the effects of wisdom and poor health on mental health.

Method: A survey of 500 Polish older adults aged 60-86 included the Personal Wellbeing Index, Geriatric Depression Scale, Three-Dimensional Wisdom Scale, Attitudes to Aging Questionnaire, perceived health, and sociodemographic questions.

Results: Wisdom buffered the negative association between poor physical health on mental health and had a significantly stronger effect on mental health if perceived physical health was very poor. The relations of wisdom, poor health, and the interaction between wisdom and poor health on mental health were partially mediated by attitudes toward aging.

Conclusion: Wisdom seems to mitigate the negative effects of poor health on mental health, and wise older adults tend to have more positive attitudes toward aging, leading to better mental health outcomes. Those findings support the important role played by wisdom and attitudes toward aging in healthy aging interventions.

Objectives: Examine the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of the Telephone Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Intervention for Caregivers (TACTICs) on dementia caregivers' anxiety, depression, caregiver burden, suffering, and anticipatory grief.

Method: A 2-arm pilot randomized trial with dementia caregivers ≥ 21 years old with clinically elevated anxiety or anxiety-related functional interference. Two cohorts were recruited at the beginning and end of the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Intervention participants received 6 telephone sessions delivered by a non-licensed interventionist and control participants received readings and a list of dementia caregiver support groups in their area. Outcomes were measured at baseline, post-intervention, and at 3 and 6 months. Feasibility was measured by enrollment rates, completion rates, and adherence to TACTICs by interventionists. Acceptability was measured with participant satisfaction surveys.

Results: TACTICs was feasible and acceptable with 96% enrollment, 98.6% adherence, 65.5% completion, and a mean satisfaction score of 9.35 out of 10 (SD 0.91). The TACTICs group showed clinically relevant reductions in anxiety post-intervention (SRM 4.1, 95% CI [2.4,5.8]), however reductions were not significantly different from the control group (p = 0.98).

Conclusion: Implementation of TACTICs during the COVID-19 pandemic was feasible and acceptable. The preliminary outcomes were not as strong as expected. The results will inform the design of future trials with larger samples.

Objectives: This scoping review aims to map out the coping strategies among Persons with Mild Cognitive Impairment (PwMCI) and Persons with Mild Dementia (PwMD), identifying the facilitators and the barriers to the use of the strategies.

Method: We conducted a systematic search of peer-reviewed studies in PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, and PsycINFO. Under the guidance of the Coping Circumflex Model, we identified coping strategies and then conducted thematic synthesis.

Results: Our review of 17 studies revealed 13 themes for coping strategies among PwMCI and PwMD, categorized into problem-solving, positive emotional, problem avoidance, and negative emotional strategies. The strategies included utilization of reminders, active engagement in daily tasks, acceptance, and concealing memory problems. The themes for facilitators and barriers encompassed social interactions, assistance from informal care partners, support from professionals, and the influence of emotion.

Conclusion: The review revealed the practical types of coping strategies and the influence of context on their use and development, highlighting the need for personalized coping strategies. These insights are crucial for developing tailored interventions to improve quality of life in PwMCI and PwMD. Future research should focus on how PwMCI and PwMD develop their effective coping strategies, considering their trajectory of cognitive decline.

Objectives: Due to the limited effectiveness of pharmacological treatment, there is a growing need to explore non-pharmacological psychosocial interventions such as music therapy when treating the behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD).

Method: We randomised 57 nursing home residents into individual active music therapy plus standard care (aMT), individual receptive music therapy with tactile sound vibration plus standard care (rMT), or the standard care control group (CG). A trained music therapist provided 12 sessions over 6 weeks. The outcomes (BPSD; depression; quality of life; medical system usage; activities of daily living; music therapy engagement) were measured at baseline (0 week), post-intervention (6 weeks), and follow-up (12 weeks).

Results: The results indicated small beneficial effects for BPSD in aMT and rMT at follow-up, a small beneficial effect for total musical engagement in aMT and rMT, a small negative effect for verbal communication in rMT, and a small beneficial effect for medical usage in the CG.

Conclusion: Both aMT and rMT methods showed promise for managing BPSD and increasing engagement during music therapy. rMT may be more suited for advanced stages of dementia. Future studies should evaluate the appropriateness and effectiveness of each intervention according to disease severity.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the results of sleep hygiene education via a comprehensive geriatric assessment.

Method: A cross-sectional research was conducted on insomnia outpatients at a tertiary hospital, and all participants received sleep hygiene education as well as a comprehensive geriatric assessment. Sleep parameters were assessed before and four weeks after education.

Results: The study included 141 participants. A significant improvement was obtained in all four scales' scores before and after education (PSQI score 11 [8-13] vs. 5 [3-9], p < .001; SHI score 12 [8-16] vs. 4 [1-8], p < .001; ESS score 6 [3-8] vs. 2 [0-6], p < .001; Jenkins SS score 15 [10-19] vs. 7 [5-11], p < .001). Female gender ratios, as well as the presence and risk of malnutrition, differed between groups with and without the PSQI score improvement. In the regression analyses, female gender and the presence of malnutrition or malnutrition risk were evaluated as possible factors affecting the PSQI responses (respectively, OR: 3.48, CI 95%: 1.21-10.00, p = .020; OR: 0.29, CI 95%: 0.09-0.949, p = .041).

Conclusion: Sleep hygiene education and interdisciplinary interventions are crucial in the management of sleep disorders in older adults.

Objective: This study aims to explore how sociodemographic, psychological, and quality of life factors impact dual-task performance among elderly individuals in Iraq.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 384 healthy community-dwelling participants aged 60 years and over, recruited from Najaf, Iraq. Data were collected using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21), Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief Form (WHOQOL-BREF). Dual-task performance was assessed using the Nine-Hole Peg Test (NHPT) combined with a cognitive task of counting backward by threes. Correlation and multivariate regression analyses were conducted to determine the predictors of cognitive dual-task performance.

Results: Among the WHOQOL domains, only physical health significantly predicted dual-task performance for both dominant and non-dominant hands (β = 0.234, p = 0.041; β = 0.263, p = 0.025, respectively), underscoring the importance of physical well-being in cognitive-motor functions. Psychological factors (depression, anxiety, and stress) measured by DASS-21 did not significantly predict dual-task performance. The model explained a small part of the variance in dual-task performance, suggesting that other factors may influence these abilities in elderly individuals.

Conclusion: While psychological factors measured by DASS-21 did not significantly impact dual-task performance, the overall quality of life remained essential. These insights can inform the design of elderly care programs.

Objectives: This research aimed to examine whether (1) socio-cognitive mindfulness, defined as actively noticing novel distinctions in events and situations, negatively predicted loneliness in older adults and whether (2) meaning in life mediated the relationships between wisdom and loneliness and between socio-cognitive mindfulness and loneliness.

Method: Two cross-sectional studies were conducted. In Study 1 (N = 76), participants aged 60 to 85 years completed questionnaires measuring wisdom, loneliness, meaning in life, and self-rated health. In Study 2 (N = 117), care home residents aged 60 to 87 years completed measures of socio-cognitive mindfulness, loneliness, meaning in life, and self-rated health.

Results: Study 1 found a negative relationship between wisdom and loneliness, even after accounting for socio-demographic factors and meaning in life. Study 2 revealed a negative relationship between socio-cognitive mindfulness and loneliness. The relationships of both wisdom and socio-cognitive mindfulness to loneliness were mediated by meaning in life.

Conclusion: The two studies indicate that attributes associated with wisdom and socio-cognitive mindfulness, such as perceiving events from multiple perspectives and maintaining a compassionate attitude, contribute to an increase in meaning in life, which in turn reduces loneliness in late adulthood.

Objectives: To explore interrelations between cognitive, physical, affective, and daily functioning, quality of life and white matter hyperintensities (WMH) in a geriatric memory clinic sample.

Method: Participants received brain imaging, comprehensive geriatric assessment and neuropsychological evaluation including measurements of cognitive, physical, affective, and daily functioning and health-related quality of life. Data was analyzed using multiple linear regressions and network analysis using (moderated) mixed graphical models.

Results: The total sample included 932 patients (age: 79.6 ± 6.0, 49% women). In regression analyses, severe WMH (Fazekas 3) was associated with decreased cognitive (attention/speed, language) and physical functioning, more apathy symptoms and more (instrumental) activities of daily living dependency (All β's -0.40 to -0.24). Within the network analysis, daily functioning was directly associated with memory, attention/speed, and gait speed, while quality of life was associated with gait speed and affective functioning. WMH had no direct network associations with domains of functioning.

Conclusion: Cognitive, physical, and affective changes associated with severe WMH co-occur with decreased daily functioning and lower quality of life in a geriatric memory clinic sample. However, relationships between domains of functioning are independent of WMH. This warrants a holistic and symptom-based approach in clinical care and post-diagnostic support.

Objectives: To cross-culturally adapt the Fear and Avoidance of Memory Loss (FAM) scale and assess the psychometric properties in the Chinese cultural context.

Method: Following Beaton's guidelines, the FAM scale was translated and adapted. A cross-sectional study assessed its psychometric properties, including internal consistency (coefficient omega, Cronbach's alpha), test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficients), and criterion and content validity. Construct validity was assessed through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) using principal axis factoring with direct oblimin rotation, with the optimal number of factors determined by the Kaiser criterion and parallel analysis.

Results: The Chinese version of FAM showed satisfactory internal consistency, test-retest reliability, content validity and criterion validity. EFA revealed a two-factor solution of the Chinese FAM scale, leading to a refined 17-item version after excluding item 15 for low factor loading.

Conclusion: The adapted 17-item FAM scale can be used as a reliable and effective tool to evaluate fear avoidance specific to memory loss among Chinese middle-aged and older adults. The removal of item 15 suggests potential cultural influences on coping mechanisms and behaviors, indicating the need for further research.

Objectives: Climate change has an impact on the prevalence of insufficient sleep and sleep disorders. This study aimed to examine climate change anxiety and sleep problems in older adults individuals.

Method: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was carried out with 664 participants between July 9 and September 10, 2024. A Personal Information Form, the Climate Change Anxiety Scale, and the Insomnia Severity Index were used for data collection. In the data analysis, independent samples t-test and one-way analysis of variance were used to compare demographic variables with the climate change anxiety scale and insomnia severity index.

Results: The mean age of the participants was 71.49 ± 6.21 years and more than half of the participants were female (54.4%). The mean score of the participants on the Climate Change Anxiety Scale was 1.68 ± 0.80 and their mean score on the Insomnia Severity Index was 12.56 ± 6.91. There was a positive correlation between the Climate Change Anxiety Scale and the Insomnia Severity Index (r = 0.26, p = 0.00). The insomnia variable explained 7% of the change in the Climate Change Anxiety score (R² = 0.07, p = 0.00).

Conclusion: Older adults experience anxiety and sleep problems regarding climate change and sleep problems in older adults increase as climate change anxiety increases.