Aging & Mental Health最新文献

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.

Objectives: There has been limited exploration into the nature and development of psychotic experiences (PEs) in Parkinson's disease (PD). We aimed to comprehensively assess the frequency, severity, and associated distress of paranoia and unusual sensory experiences (USEs) in PD, and to assess what variables are significantly associated with these experiences, focussing on psychological processes central to understanding PEs in non-PD groups.

Method: A questionnaire battery was completed by 369 individuals with PD with a mean age of 66 years and mean time since diagnosis of 5 years. Recruitment was via Parkinson's UK, social media, and local community groups. For a subset of measures, comparisons were made to age-matched controls using pre-existing data.

Results: 182 (49%) participants reported USEs, including almost half of those not taking dopaminergic medication. For 83 (23%), the experience was distressing. Paranoia across the sample was significantly lower than in age-matched controls. However, specific paranoid concerns around abandonment (16%) and spousal betrayal (10%) were reported by some. Depression, anxiety, loneliness, and stigma and desire for support with PEs were high across the sample. Almost all psychological variables were significantly associated with PEs in structural equation models.

Conclusion: PEs in PD are common, even in those not taking dopaminergic medication. For a small subset, these experiences are distressing and not resolved by existing treatment. Cognitive-affective variables like depression and anxiety could play a maintaining role in PEs in PD thus providing easy avenues for trialling intervention.

Objectives: Depression among the elderly is a significant public health concern in Uganda, where cultural, social, and healthcare-related barriers hinder access to treatment and support. This study examines the barriers to mental health service access faced by elderly service-users in Uganda.

Method: Using an interpretive phenomenological approach, in-depth interviews were conducted to capture the lived experiences of elderly Baganda service users receiving treatment at Butabika National Referral and Teaching hospital.

Results: The findings reveal an intricate interaction between cultural, social, economic, and healthcare system-related barriers. Key barriers include limited mental health awareness, financial constraints, fragmentation, drug shortage and geographical access. Social and cultural stigma further exacerbate these challenges contributing to delayed or avoided help-seeking behaviours among the elderly.

Conclusion: The study highlights the intersectionality of aging and mental health issues, underscoring the urgent need for a comprehensive, integrated approach to mental health care for the elderly. This research calls for targeted interventions to reduce stigma, increase mental health literacy, and improve the accessibility and affordability of care for vulnerable elderly populations in Uganda. Such services can improve mental health outcomes and quality of life for the elderly in Uganda.

Objectives: Disease-related stigma is associated with poor mental health and wellbeing in people with Parkinson's disease. Urdu language tools for measuring stigma are not yet available. The aim of this study was therefore to develop and validate an Urdu version of the Stigma Scale for Chronic Illness-8 (SSCI-8).

Method: The Urdu SSCI-8 was developed following the 'Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy' translation procedure. To assess its reliability and validity, 250 people diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, aged 50-65 years, completed the Urdu SSCI-8, along with Urdu versions of depression and quality of measures.

Results: Confirmatory Factor Analysis revealed that a single factor solution provided a good fit to the data, with high internal consistency (Cronbach Alpha = 0.95), and good fit indices (RMSEA = 0.05, CFI = 0.99, TLI = 0.98, GFI = 0.96). Composite Reliability Co-efficient (0.95) and Average Variance Extracted (0.71) values indicated strong convergent reliability and validity. Scores on the Urdu SSCI-8 correlated positively with depression (r = 0.53, p < 0.001), and negatively with quality of life (r = -0.61, p < 0.001), indicating high levels of convergent and discriminant validity.

Conclusion: The Urdu SSCI-8 is a reliable, valid, and culturally appropriate tool for measuring stigma among patients with Parkinson's disease.

Objectives: (1) To determine the life satisfaction (LS) of members of a cohort study of aging men; (2) to determine if LS predicts death at various ages amongst members of a cohort study.

Methods: We analyzed a prospective cohort study of men who qualified for air crew training in the Second World War. In 2005, 860 participants with a mean age of 85, were alive and responded to the annual questionnaire - which is sent to participants living in the community. Since 2005, LS was measured annually. Kaplan-Meier plots were constructed, and median survival times were calculated. Cox proportional hazards models were constructed comparing those with 'Poor/Bad'; 'Fair'; 'Good; and 'Very Good' to 'Excellent' LS.

Results: Throughout the study period from 2005 to 2024, most men were satisfied with life. Lower LS predicted mortality throughout the course of the study, even at very old ages and even after accounting for the effect of chronic diseases.

Conclusions: LS appears relatively stable in community living old men, and predicts mortality even into advanced age.

Objectives: Ageism occurs across the world, with negative consequences for individuals and societies. In 2016, WHO received a mandate from its Member States to lead the global campaign to combat ageism. To monitor, evaluate, and build evidence for reducing ageism, the availability of a brief, reliable and valid set of indicators of ageism experiences that can be used globally is essential.

Method: Building on previous reviews, the current review examines existing measures of ageism with a specific focus on suitability for meeting this need. Given the urgent need for indicators in the context of the global campaign to combat ageism, a rapid review methodology was adopted.

Results: Results suggested that no measure met all desired criteria; however, the WHO ageism experiences scale was the most promising of available measures due to its focus on ageism as a multi-dimensional construct encompassing stereotypes, prejudices, and discrimination and self-directed, interpersonal, and institutional elements and the explicit consideration of cross-cultural universality in its development. Other promising measures included ESS Round 4 items along with its CIS and VQ variants, the Everyday Ageism Scale, the Perceived Ageism Questionnaire (PAQ), and the Ageism Survey.

Conclusion: Further cross-setting validation of this scale is recommended.

Objectives: Both alcohol use and the prevalence of depression-depressive disorders, among older adults have increased over the past several decades and have been associated with increased morbidity and mortality. To our knowledge, the interactions between retirement, depression, and alcohol use have not yet been examined. This study aims to longitudinally explore the mediating role of alcohol use on the association between retirement and depressive symptoms in the United States, comparing individuals who are retired and not retired, while also exploring individuals who transitioned into and out of retirement at different times.

Method: Data from the Health and Retirement Study (waves 1994 to 2020) were used. Respondents aged 50 years and older who had valid information on retirement status and had observations for at least 3 waves were included in our sample (n = 27,575; nt = 193,642). A generalized longitudinal mixed-effect model was conducted on depressive symptoms (CESD-8). Direct, indirect, and total effects were calculated to test the mediating mechanism of alcohol use.

Results: Retirement was associated with increased depressive symptoms (b = 0.04, p < 0.05), while moderate alcohol use was associated with decreased depressive symptoms (b = -0.09, p < 0.05), and binge drinking was associated with increased depressive symptoms (b = 0.06, p < 0.05). Alcohol played a mediating role in the association between retirement and depressive symptoms, with moderate use serving as a protective factor.

Conclusion: Screening and treating depression and alcohol misuse among older adults is key to promoting longer and healthier lives. Providing alternative coping mechanisms to heavy alcohol consumption for retirees is crucial.

Objectives: The concept of successful aging has been criticized for overlooking the experiences of older adults aging with disabilities, which may accentuate segregation and consolidate inequities. This qualitative study explored how older people living with early-onset mobility disabilities define successful aging, whether their definitions differ from those proposed by academia and from those of older people without disabilities, and to what extent older people with motor disabilities perceive themselves as aging successfully.

Method: Thirty-two people (20 women, 12 men) aged over 60 and living with motor disabilities for a minimum of 20 years were interviewed about their definition of successful aging and whether they considered that they were aging successfully. Responses were analyzed thematically.

Results: We identified five main themes: (a) activity, (b) supportive context, (c) proactive attitude, (d) autonomy and (e) adaptation. Most participants considered that they were aging successfully, according to the themes underlined in their definition of successful aging.

Conclusion: Participants see successful aging as based far more on psychosocial than biomedical aspects. Successful aging is defined as process in which the maintenance of desired activities and independence is attained due to contextual and psychological resources, which allows participants to perceive themselves as aging successfully.

Objectives: Loneliness and social isolation are associated with a range of deleterious health outcomes. Yoga is a mind-body physical activity that is used in health care settings and increasingly in a telehealth group format. This trial aimed to determine the effect of a brief course of telehealth yoga on loneliness among rural older adults.

Method: In this pragmatic trial among rural-residing Veterans Affairs patients over age 60 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05431166), participants were randomized to eight, 60-minute telehealth yoga classes delivered to their homes or waitlist control. The primary outcome was loneliness at 10 wk. Additional outcomes included measures of social isolation, fidelity, and acceptability, as well as interview findings.

Results: Of 70 participants, 52 completed follow-up (mean [SD] age 67.8 [5.9] years). Loneliness significantly decreased between baseline and follow-up in both groups, but there were no significant between-group differences in loneliness or social isolation. Ratings of fidelity and acceptability were high. Qualitative findings indicated benefits related to the telehealth format and aspects of social connection not captured in quantitative measures.

Conclusion: A brief course of weekly telehealth yoga was feasible and acceptable among older rural patients but not effective at reducing loneliness and social isolation.

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the mediation effect of negative views on ageing (VoA) between physical health problems and emotional distress, and the moderation effect of urban/rural residence ('hukou').

Methods: We adopted a sample of 936 older Chinese people aged 60 and above from the China General Social Survey (CGSS). A structural equation model (SEM) approach was adopted to test the measurement model of latent variables and the structural model examining the hypothesized pathway. The bootstrapping bias-corrected approach (5000 bootstrap samples) was adopted.

Results: The SEM shows that negative VoA mediates physical health problems and emotional distress (β = 0.041, B = 0.063, 95% CI [0.029, 0.102], p = 0.001). The relationship between negative VoA and emotional distress is more pronounced among urban than rural older residents (β = 0.181, B = 0.168, 95% CI [0.004, 0.377], p = 0.076), which may suggest that being dependent on others is less desirable among urban older people.

Conclusion: This study underscores the importance of having positive VoA, especially for urban older residents. More studies on the formation and impacts of older people's expectations of their own ageing are warranted.