Aging & Mental Health最新文献

Objectives: This study examines the extent to which communications via social networking sites (SNS) ameliorates the emotional distress associated with isolation and loneliness among older adults.

Method: We utilize the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) for survey years 2014, 2016, and 2018 (N = 8,466). The sample consists of adults (55+) who participated in the Psycho-Social module. Utilizing random-effects linear regression models, we test associations of isolation and loneliness on emotional distress outcomes, including depression, negative affect, and positive affect. Additionally, we assessed whether communications via SNS moderate these relationships.

Results: Loneliness, compared to isolation, is consistently associated with emotional distress among older adults. SNS attenuates mental and emotional distress among those who are objectively isolated while magnifying the negative impacts of loneliness. The associations between SNS communications and emotional distress are conditional on degrees of isolation and loneliness. In particular, greater SNS use is associated with higher negative affect among those who feel lonely but higher positive affect among those who are isolated.

Conclusion: SNS may offset social isolation among older adults, whereas heavy reliance on SNS when one feels lonely may amplify that internalization. Assessments of social technology would benefit from distinguishing isolation and loneliness conditions.

Objectives: Older refugees in Türkiye are regarded as one of the most vulnerable groups within the expanding refugee communities. However, little is known regarding their psychological well-being and living standards among old refugees in Türkiye. This study examines mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, and stress and their effect on the quality of life among older refugees in Türkiye.

Method: The sample consists of n = 171 older refugees over 60 years of age. To evaluate the mental health and quality of life of the older people sample members, the DASS-21 scale, the WHOQOL-BREF scale, and the PMH-scale were used. The data were analyzed through ordinal and linear regression models, and significant predictors were identified.

Results: Along with moderate stress levels, a significant proportion of participants were found to experience severe depression, affecting approximately 26.9% of the sample, as well as anxiety, which impacted 31.6%. Anxiety symptoms were associated with education and duration of stay in Türkiye, while age-related emotional distress, marital status, and socioeconomic position were linked to higher quality of life ratings.

Conclusion: The study underscores the critical need for targeted mental care services, culturally tailored interventions, and strong social support networks to mitigate psychological distress in older refugees.

Objectives: Prevalence of late life depression symptoms is estimated to be up to 29%. For older adults, depression symptoms can constitute both a risk and outcome for cognitive impairment. Understanding how specific depression symptoms and cognitive impairment domains interact over time in older adults is key for prevention, early identification, and treatment.

Method: Using cross-sectional psychometric network models, this study aimed to explore interactions between late-life depression symptoms and cognitive impairment domains across different time points using data from waves 7-9 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA).

Results: Across 3544 participants, ≥65 years of age, with no diagnosed dementia-related disorders, the depression symptom everything was an effort showed high expected influence across all time points. Across two time points, object naming and verbal fluency also showed high expected influence. Self-reported memory demonstrated high bridge centrality connecting depression symptom and cognitive impairment domains. Network centralities differed significantly across time points.

Conclusion: For older adults, fatigue appears a key depression symptom. Cognitive impairment domains become more influential over time, and perceived memory loss links cognitive impairment to depression symptoms. Practical implications are discussed in relation to targeting depression symptoms and cognitive impairment domains.

Objectives: To identify combinations of loneliness and social isolation and their associations with demographic, health, and psychosocial variables in a nationally representative sample of Brazilians aged 50 and older.

Method: This cross-sectional study included 6139 participants from the baseline (2015-2016) of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging. Clusters were identified using an exploratory non-hierarchical analysis (k-means), and the odds ratios of the occurrence of variables were estimated by multinomial logistic regression.

Results: 36% were classified as lonely/not isolated, 19.4% as lonely/isolated, and 44.5% as not lonely/not isolated. The odds of belonging to the 'lonely/not isolated' cluster were lower for males and higher for those with more depressive symptoms, lower life satisfaction and quality of life scores, and poor mobility. The odds of being in the 'lonely/isolated' cluster were higher for individuals with more depressive symptoms, aged 80 years or older, and with lower levels of social participation, education, expectations of care, life satisfaction, and perceived quality of life.

Conclusion: Measures aimed at reducing social isolation and loneliness should be tailored to the characteristics of each cluster. The 'lonely/isolated' cluster would benefit from measures that reduce socioeconomic disadvantages throughout life and create opportunities for quality social interaction in old age.

Objectives: Older spouses are a significant part of family caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and need support. Evidence suggests that different factors influence the support of older spousal caregivers. However, there is little evidence about these factors in developing countries like Iran. This study aimed to identify the factors affecting the support of Iranian older spousal caregivers of people with AD.

Method: This qualitative study used Graneheim and Lundman's conventional content analysis approach. Through purposive sampling, 10 caregivers, three family members, and three professionals were recruited from various cognitive clinics and centers. In-depth and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data and continued until conceptual saturation was achieved.

Results: Two themes were derived from the data as factors affecting support, which included (1) caregiver's support-seeking (complexity of the patient's condition, caregiver's geriatric health, the burden of caring for a spouse with AD, marital bond quality, caregiver's support-phobic beliefs, caregiver's awareness of care) and (2) capacities of support resources (supportive family, supportiveness of society, formal systems' capability to provide support services).

Conclusion: The present study provided practical information about the factors influencing the support of older spousal caregivers. Healthcare providers and policymakers can use these concepts to improve the support process by strengthening caregivers' support-seeking motivation and enhancing capacities in support resources.

Objective: Vietnam is an LMIC in Asia that is experiencing rising cases of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). Many Vietnamese adults at risk of ADRD have experienced early-life war exposures, which may have negative impacts on their cognitive function in later years.

Methods: Our study uses the Vietnam Health and Aging Study (VHAS) to investigate the impact of early-life war exposure on cognitive function in later life while also considering variations in social engagement. The sample consists of 2352 adults aged 60 and older from northern and central Vietnam. Cognitive function, measured by questions from the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), and self-rated memory are our dependent variables and five measures related to social engagement serve as independent variables.

Results: Our results show an association between PTSD symptoms and poorer cognitive function (0.0704, p < 0.05) and self-rated memory (OR = 0.904, p < 0.001; 95%). Similar results are also found among for individuals with lower level of social engagement. Furthermore, several sociodemographic factors exhibit attenuated effects on cognitive function due to variations in social engagement.

Conclusion: Social engagement is generally beneficial for cognitive health amongst those with early-life war exposure, but it does not necessarily attenuate the effects of trauma.

Objective: Social participation is essential for the health of older adults. Formal volunteering can reduce loneliness and is associated with numerous positive health outcomes. Older adults have limited resources to meet their social and well-being needs. We explore factors contributing to the well-being of middle-aged and older adults who engage in formal volunteering using a qualitative social network approach.

Methods: Between 2022 and 2023, qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 28 members of social clubs in Germany, aged 45-80 (mean age 62 years). Thirteen participants were retired. Eight interviewees were female and twenty were male. Participants created unstructured egocentric network maps of individuals or organisations important to their well-being. Participants reflected on their social networks using these maps, which allowed for deeper insights into changing network dynamics. The data were analysed using thematic analysis.

Results: We developed six themes: intrapersonal, interpersonal and social network characteristics affecting well-being, self-fulfilment, feeling indispensable and unfulfilled expectations. Formal social participation, particularly through volunteering, contributed significantly to the well-being.

Conclusion: Formal volunteering can aid successful role substitution and compensation, especially after retirement. This may prevent loneliness and increase well-being in older age.

Objectives: Social relationships are associated with various positive physical, psychological, and emotional outcomes in older adults. In line with the growing understanding of the role of subjective views of aging (VoA) for older adults' quality of life, the current work examines how daily fluctuations in VoA affect social relationships. Moreover, as the ability to mentalize others' states of mind (i.e. Theory of Mind) considerably enhances such relationships, this study assesses whether mentalization abilities mediate the VoA-social relationships link.

Method: Eighty-two Israeli older adults (mean age = 73.44, SD = 8.64, range = 60-95) completed a baseline online questionnaire containing background information, and subsequently filled out daily online questionnaires assessing ageist attitudes, subjective age, mentalization abilities, and positive social relationships for 14 consecutive days.

Results: Positive VoA (reduced ageist attitudes and/or a young subjective age) were associated with enhanced mentalization and positive relationships on a given day and in time-lagged analyses. Moreover, mentalization mediated the effect of previous-day VoA on next-day positive social relationships. VoA also mediated the effect of previous-day mentalization on next-day positive social relationships.

Conclusion: The study highlights the importance of mentalization capabilities for maintaining positive VoA/social relationships and expands the understanding of underlying factors associated with meaningful and close relationships in older adults.

Objectives: This study identifies patterns of antidepressant prescribing and subsequent hospital admissions from 2010 to 2018 amongst older adults in Northern Ireland (NI).

Method: Participants comprised all General Practitioner (GP)-registered adults aged fifty-five years and above on 01/01/2010 (n = 386,119). Administrative data linkage included demographic information; antidepressant prescribing data from the NI Enhanced Prescribing Database (EPD); and hospital patient admissions. Repeated measures latent class analysis (RMLCA) identified patterns of antidepressant prescribing (from 2010 to 2018).

Results: RMLCA identified four latent classes: decreasing antidepressant prescribing (5.9%); increasing antidepressant prescribing (8.0%); no-antidepressant prescribing (68.7%); and long-term antidepressant prescribing (17.5%). Compared with those in no-antidepressant prescribing class, persons in the remaining classes were more likely to be female and younger, and less likely to live in either rural areas or less-deprived areas. Compared with no-antidepressant prescribing, those with increasing antidepressant prescribing were 60% and 52% more likely to be admitted to hospital in 2019 and 2020, respectively, and their admission rate per year was 11% and 8% higher in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Similarly, those with long-term prescriptions were 70% and 67% more likely to be admitted to hospital in 2019 and 2020, respectively, and their admission rate per year was 14% and 9% higher in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

Conclusion: Findings show that approximately 26% of the NI hospital admissions population were impacted by sustained or increasing antidepressant prescribing. Because of their increased likelihood of hospitalization, these individuals may benefit from psychosocial support and social prescribing alternatives to psychopharmacological treatment.

Objectives: This study aimed to compare the effects of laughter yoga and music intervention on depression, anxiety, and stress in aged individuals referred to Rafsanjan health centers.

Method: In this 3-arm randomized clinical trial, 91 depressed aged participants aged 60-75 years, referred to Rafsanjan health centers, were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. The study followed a parallel group design with an allocation ratio of 1:1. The laughter yoga intervention was conducted twice a week for eight weeks, and music intervention consisted of 30-min sessions twice a week for eight weeks. The control group received no intervention ('No treatment' concurrent control). Assessments for depressive symptoms (primary outcome), anxiety, and stress were conducted at baseline, post-intervention, and one month after the intervention.

Results: A total of 84 patients were analyzed in three groups included the laughter yoga intervention (n = 31), music intervention (n = 25), or control group (n = 28). Repeated measures ANOVA revealed a significant decrease in depressive and anxiety symptoms (p < 0.001) from pre-test to post-test and one-month follow-ups. The greatest impact of the intervention programs on stress was observed immediately after the intervention, but stress increased one month after the intervention programs (p = 0.125).

Conclusion: Both laughter yoga and music interventions proved effective in improving depression, anxiety, and stress in aged individuals. However, laughter yoga intervention demonstrated a superior effect and better acceptance among elders.