Binge drinking and insomnia in middle-aged and older adults: the Health and Retirement Study

Abstract BACKGROUND Sleep disturbances are associated with risk of cognitive decline but it is not clear if treating disturbed sleep mitigates decline. We examined differences in cognitive trajectories before and after sleep treatment initiation. METHODS Data came from the 2006-2014 Health and Retirement Study. At each of five waves, participants were administered cognitive assessments and scores were summed. Participants also reported if, in prior two weeks, they had taken medications or used other treatments to improve sleep. Our sample (N=3,957) included individuals who at HRS 2006 were >50 years, had no cognitive impairment, reported no sleep treatment, and indicated experiencing sleep disturbance. We identified differences between those receiving vs. not receiving treatment in subsequent waves, and among those treated (N=1,247), compared cognitive trajectories before and after treatment. RESULTS At baseline, those reporting sleep treatment at subsequent waves were more likely to be younger, female, Caucasian, to have more health conditions, to have higher BMI, and more depressive symptoms (all p’s≤0.015). Decline in cognitive performance was mitigated in periods after sleep treatment vs. periods before (B=-0.20, 95% CI=-0.25, -0.15, p<0.001; vs., B=-0.26, 95% CI=-0.32, -0.20, p<0.001), and this same trend was seen for self-initiated and doctor-recommended treatments. Trends were driven by those with higher baseline cognitive performance—those with lower performance saw cognitive declines following sleep treatment. CONCLUSIONS In middle-aged and older adults with sleep disturbance, starting sleep treatment may slow cognitive decline. Future research should assess types, combinations, and timing of treatments most effective in improving cognitive health in later life.

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Insomnia and Health Services Utilization in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Results From the Health and Retirement Study

The Journals of Gerontology Series A ◽

10.1093/gerona/glt050 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 68 (12) ◽

pp. 1512-1517 ◽

Cited By ~ 36

Author(s):

Christopher N. Kaufmann ◽

Sarah L. Canham ◽

Ramin Mojtabai ◽

Amber M. Gum ◽

Natalie D. Dautovich ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Health Services ◽

Health Services Utilization ◽

Health And Retirement Study ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Services Utilization ◽

Retirement Study

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Insomnia as a predictor of job exit among middle-aged and older adults: results from the Health and Retirement Study

Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health ◽

10.1136/jech-2016-208630 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 71 (8) ◽

pp. 750-757 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Liming Dong ◽

Jacqueline Agnew ◽

Ramin Mojtabai ◽

Pamela J Surkan ◽

Adam P Spira

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Health And Retirement Study ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Retirement Study

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Perceived social capital and binge drinking in older adults: The Health and Retirement Study, US data from 2006–2014

Drug and Alcohol Dependence ◽

10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108099 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 214 ◽

pp. 108099

Author(s):

E. Villalonga-Olives ◽

J. Almansa ◽

F. Shaya ◽

I. Kawachi

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Social Capital ◽

Binge Drinking ◽

Health And Retirement Study ◽

Retirement Study

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INTERNET USE AND LONELINESS OF OLDER ADULTS OVER TIME: THE MEDIATION EFFECT OF SOCIAL CONTACT

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.697 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S194-S194

Author(s):

Kexin Yu ◽

Shinyi Wu ◽

Iris Chi

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Older People ◽

Internet Use ◽

Social Contact ◽

Total Effect ◽

Mediation Effect ◽

Health And Retirement Study ◽

Longitudinal Association ◽

Retirement Study ◽

Over Time

Abstract Internet is increasingly popular among older adults and have changed interpersonal interactions. However, it remains controversial whether older people are more or less lonely with internet use. This paper tests the longitudinal association of internet use and loneliness among older people. One pathway that explains the association, the mediation effect of social contact, was examined. Data from the 2006, 2010 and 2014 waves of Health and Retirement Study was used. Hierarchical liner modeling results showed internet use was related to decreased loneliness over 12-year period of time (b=-0.044, p<.001). Internet use was associated with more social contact with family and friends overtime (b=0.261, p<.001), social contact was related to less perceived loneliness longitudinally (b=0.097, p<.001). The total effect of internet use on loneliness is -0.054 and the mediated effect is -0.025. The findings imply that online activities can be effective for reducing loneliness for older people through increased social contact.

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Everyday Discrimination and Kidney Function Among Older Adults: Evidence From the Health and Retirement Study

The Journals of Gerontology Series A ◽

10.1093/gerona/glz294 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 75 (3) ◽

pp. 517-521

Author(s):

Ryon J Cobb ◽

Roland J Thorpe ◽

Keith C Norris

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Chronic Kidney Disease ◽

Kidney Disease ◽

Kidney Function ◽

The United States ◽

Health And Retirement Study ◽

Disease Epidemiology ◽

Lower Egfr ◽

Everyday Discrimination ◽

Retirement Study

Abstract Background With advancing age, there is an increase in the time of and number of experiences with psychosocial stressors that may lead to the initiation and/or progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Our study tests whether one type of experience, everyday discrimination, predicts kidney function among middle and older adults. Methods The data were from 10 973 respondents (ages 52–100) in the 2006/2008 Health and Retirement Study, an ongoing biennial nationally representative survey of older adults in the United States. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) derives from the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation. Our indicator of everyday discrimination is drawn from self-reports from respondents. Ordinary Least Squared regression (OLS) models with robust standard errors are applied to test hypotheses regarding the link between everyday discrimination and kidney function. Results Everyday discrimination was associated with poorer kidney function among respondents in our study. Respondents with higher everyday discrimination scores had lower eGFR after adjusting for demographic characteristics (B = −1.35, p < .05), and while attenuated, remained significant (B = −0.79, p < .05) after further adjustments for clinical, health behavior, and socioeconomic covariates. Conclusions Our study suggests everyday discrimination is independently associated with lower eGFR. These findings highlight the importance of psychosocial factors in predicting insufficiency in kidney function among middle-aged and older adults.

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Predictors of use of digital technology for communication among older adults: analysis of data from the health and retirement study

Working with Older People ◽

10.1108/wwop-01-2021-0002 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Brady Lund

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Technology Adoption ◽

Digital Technology ◽

Psychological Factors ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Health And Retirement Study ◽

Intellectual Curiosity ◽

Mixed Effect ◽

Content Type ◽

Retirement Study

Purpose This study aims to examine the potential impact of eleven social and psychological factors – anxiety, closeness with family and friends, intellectual curiosity, life control, life satisfaction, physical health, religiosity, self-esteem, sociability, socioeconomic status and works status and demands – on the use of digital technology by older adults for the purpose of communicating with family and friends. Design/methodology/approach A path analysis, which uses ordinary least squares regression to examine relationships among variables, is used to perform a secondary analysis of data from the 2018 Health and Retirement Study. A correlation matrix, which displays the direct relationships among variables, is also incorporated. Findings Statistically significant direct influences are revealed between the use of digital technology for communication and three factors: intellectual curiosity, self-esteem, and sociability. These three factors are themselves moderated by the influences of the remaining eight factors. While most factors relate to an increase in the adoption of social uses of digital technology, increased anxiety and increased work demands (for those who are employed) are related to decreased adoption, while increased religiosity has a mixed effect (reduced intellectual curiosity but increased sociability). These findings suggest a few avenues for identifying and intervening in the lives of physically and socially isolated older adults, by illuminating correlates of technology adoption. Originality/value While many studies have examined factors that correlate to increased technology adoption, this study is original in that it focuses specifically on the use of digital technology for communication with family and friends (i.e. use of email, messaging, social media) while also focusing on social and psychological factors (many of which can be changed through intervention) rather than innate and uncontrollable factors like age, gender and ethnicity.

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