The association of cognitive performance with mental health and physical functioning strengthens with age: the Whitehall II cohort study

BackgroundCognitive performance has been associated with mental and physical health, but it is unknown whether the strength of these associations changes with ageing and with age-related social transitions, such as retirement. We examined whether cognitive performance predicted mental and physical health from midlife to early old age.MethodParticipants were 5414 men and 2278 women from the Whitehall II cohort study followed for 15 years between 1991 and 2006. The age range included over the follow-up was from 40 to 75 years. Mental health and physical functioning were measured six times using SF-36 subscales. Cognitive performance was assessed three times using five cognitive tests assessing verbal and numerical reasoning, verbal memory, and phonemic and semantic fluency. Socio-economic status (SES) and retirement were included as covariates.ResultsHigh cognitive performance was associated with better mental health and physical functioning. Mental health differences associated with cognitive performance widened with age from 39 to 76 years of age, whereas physical functioning differences widened only between 39 and 60 years and not after 60 years of age. SES explained part of the widening differences in mental health and physical functioning before age 60. Cognitive performance was more strongly associated with mental health in retired than non-retired participants, which contributed to the widening differences after 60 years of age.ConclusionsThe strength of cognitive performance in predicting mental and physical health may increase from midlife to early old age, and these changes may be related to SES and age-related transitions, such as retirement.

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Cumulative Associations Between Midlife Health Behaviors and Physical Functioning in Early Old Age: A 17-Year Prospective Cohort Study

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society ◽

10.1111/jgs.13071 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 62 (10) ◽

pp. 1860-1868 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Séverine Sabia ◽

Alexis Elbaz ◽

Nicolas Rouveau ◽

Eric J. Brunner ◽

Mika Kivimaki ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Health Behaviors ◽

Old Age ◽

Prospective Cohort Study ◽

Physical Functioning ◽

Prospective Cohort ◽

Early Old Age

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The impact of work loss on mental and physical health during the COVID-19 pandemic: Findings from a prospective cohort study

10.1101/2020.09.06.20189514 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Daniel Griffiths ◽

Luke Sheehan ◽

Caryn Van Vreden ◽

Dennis Petrie ◽

Genevieve Grant ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Cohort Study ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Physical Health ◽

Social Interactions ◽

Financial Resources ◽

Work Loss ◽

High Psychological Distress ◽

Prospective Longitudinal ◽

Mental And Physical Health

Objective: To determine if losing work during the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with mental and physical health. To determine if social interactions and financial resources moderate the relationship between work loss and health. Design: Baseline data from a prospective longitudinal cohort study. Setting: Australia, 27th March to 12th June 2020. Participants: Australians aged 18+ years, employed in a paid job prior to the COVID-19 pandemic who responded to an online or telephone survey. Main Outcome Measures: Kessler-6 score > 18 indicating high psychological distress. Short Form 12 (SF-12) mental health or physical health component score <= 45 indicating poor mental or physical health. Results: 2,603 respondents including groups who had lost their job (N=541), were not working but remained employed (N=613), were working less (N=789) and whose work was unaffected (N=789). Three groups experiencing work loss had greater odds of high psychological distress (AOR=2.22-3.66), poor mental (AOR=1.78-2.27) and physical health (AOR=2.10-2.12) than the unaffected work group. Poor mental health was more common than poor physical health. The odds of high psychological distress (AOR=5.43-8.36), poor mental (AOR=1.92-4.53) and physical health (AOR=1.93-3.90) were increased in those reporting fewer social interactions or less financial resources. Conclusion: Losing work during the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with mental and physical health problems, and this relationship is moderated by social interactions and financial resources. Responses that increase financial security and enhance social connections may partially alleviate the health impacts of work loss.

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Pre-pandemic mental and physical health as predictors of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy: evidence from a UK-wide cohort study

10.1101/2021.04.27.21256185 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

George David Batty ◽

Ian Deary ◽

Drew Altschul

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Cohort Study ◽

Physical Health ◽

General Health Questionnaire ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Symptom Scale ◽

Individual Level ◽

Successful Testing ◽

The Uk ◽

Mental And Physical Health

Importance: Although several predictors of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy have been identified, the role of physical health has not been well-examined, and the association with mental health is unknown. Objective: To examine the association of pre-pandemic mental health, physical health, and shielding with vaccine hesitancy after the announcement of the successful testing of the Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine. Design, Setting, and Participants: We used individual-level data from a pandemic-focused investigation (COVID Survey), a prospective cohort study nested within the UK Understanding Society (Main Survey) project. In the week immediately following the announcement of successful testing of the first efficacious inoculation (November/December 2020), data on vaccine intentionality were collected in 12,035 individuals aged 16-95 years. Pre-pandemic, study members had responded to enquiries about diagnoses of mental and physical health, completed the 12-item General Health Questionnaire for symptoms of psychological distress (anxiety and depression), and indicated whether they or someone in their household was shielding. Main outcome measures: Self-reported intention to take up a vaccination for COVID-19. To summarise our results, we computed odds ratios with accompanying 95% confidence intervals for indices of health and shielding adjusted for selected covariates. Results: In an analytical sample of 11,955 people (6741 women), 15.4% indicated that they were vaccine hesitant. Relative to their disease-free counterparts, shielding was associated with a 24% lower risk of being hesitant (odds ratio; 95% confidence interval: 0.76; 0.59, 0.96), after adjustment for a range of covariates which included age, education, and ethnicity. Corresponding results for cardiometabolic disease were 22% (0.78; 0.64, 0.95), and for respiratory disease were 26% (0.74; 0.59, 0.93). Having a pre-pandemic diagnosis of anxiety or depression, or a high score on the distress symptom scale, were all unrelated to the willingness to take up a vaccine. Conclusions and relevance: People who have been prioritised for COVID-19 vaccination owing to a physical condition are more likely to take it up. These effects were not apparent for indices of mental health.

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Who maintains good health functioning? The contribution of social, work-related and behavioural factors to mental and physical health functioning trajectories in ageing employees

Occupational and Environmental Medicine ◽

10.1136/oemed-2019-106324 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 77 (7) ◽

pp. 478-487

Author(s):

Tea Lallukka ◽

Aapo Hiilamo ◽

Olli Pietiläinen ◽

Minna Mänty ◽

Anne Kouvonen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Physical Health ◽

Physical Functioning ◽

Sleep Problems ◽

Job Control ◽

Mental Health Functioning ◽

Health Functioning ◽

Low Levels ◽

Mental And Physical Health ◽

Good Sleep

ObjectivesThe determinants of poor functioning and subsequent early exit from work are well established but very little is known about the positive determinants of maintaining good functioning among the ageing workforce. We investigated modifiable determinants of maintaining good mental and physical health functioning.MethodsWe used prospective survey data collected across four waves among the midlife employees of the City of Helsinki, Finland, 2000–2017 (n=3342). Health functioning was repeatedly measured using the Short Form 36 (SF-36) inventory. Trajectories of mental and physical health functioning were separately examined using group-based trajectory analysis. Multinomial logistic regression models were fitted to examine determinants of each trajectory.ResultsFour trajectory solutions for the developmental patterns in health functioning during the follow-up period were selected, with a slightly different shape of the first trajectory for mental and physical functioning: (1) continuously low (mental), low and decreasing (physical), (2) increasing, (3) decreasing and (4) continuously high functioning. After adjustments, the employees in the continuously high mental health functioning group were more likely to have optimal job demands, high job control, no sleep problems and no binge drinking behaviour. Employees in the continuously high physical functioning group had more likely low levels of physically strenuous work and hazardous working environment and no sleep problems and normal weight.ConclusionHigh job control, good sleep and avoiding binge drinking may help maintain good mental health functioning. Low levels of physical or environmental work exposures, good sleep and recommended healthy weight may support maintenance of good physical health functioning among ageing employees.

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Trajectories and personality correlates of change in perceptions of physical and mental health across adulthood and old age

International Journal of Behavioral Development ◽

10.1177/0165025413492605 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 37 (6) ◽

pp. 475-484 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Jennifer Morack ◽

Frank J. Infurna ◽

Nilam Ram ◽

Denis Gerstorf

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Physical Health ◽

Old Age ◽

Household Income ◽

Successful Aging ◽

Growth Models ◽

Subjective Health ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

Personality Correlates ◽

Age Related

Subjective health is known to predict later outcomes, including survival. However, less is known about subjective health changes across adulthood, how personality moderates those changes, and whether such associations differ with age. We applied growth models to 10 waves of data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey (HILDA, N = 7,172; median ages 20–93) to examine age-related differences in trajectories of subjective physical and mental health. On average, perceptions of physical health declined with increasing steepness in old age, whereas self-rated mental health remained relatively stable across all ages. Higher neuroticism and lower extraversion and conscientiousness were each related to less successful aging. The health implications of personality did not differ by age for physical health, but were weaker for mental health in old age. We discuss implications of our results for accelerated longitudinal designs and consider avenues for future more mechanism-oriented research.

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Infant motor development and cognitive performance in early old age: the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study

AGE ◽

10.1007/s11357-015-9785-x ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 37 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Taina Poranen-Clark ◽

Mikaela B. von Bonsdorff ◽

Jari Lahti ◽

Katri Räikkönen ◽

Clive Osmond ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Birth Cohort ◽

Old Age ◽

Motor Development ◽

Birth Cohort Study ◽

Early Old Age ◽

Infant Motor Development

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The impact of economic crisis on mental and physical health in Italy

Die Psychiatrie ◽

10.1055/s-0038-1669560 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 14 (02) ◽

pp. 103-110

Author(s):

S. Tomassi ◽

M. Ruggeri

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Physical Health ◽

Economic Crisis ◽

Social Determinants ◽

Great Recession ◽

Economic Recession ◽

Behavioural Disorders ◽

Economic Activities ◽

The Impact ◽

Mental And Physical Health

Summary Background: The global crisis that began in 2007 has been the most prolonged economic recession since 1929. It has caused worldwide tangible costs in terms of cuts in employment and income, which have been widely recognised also as major social determinants of mental health (1, 2). The so-called “Great Recession” has disproportionately affected the most vulnerable part of society of the whole Eurozone (3). Across Europe, an increase in suicides and deaths rates due to mental and behavioural disorders was reported among those who lost their jobs, houses and economic activities as a consequence of the crisis.

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