scholarly journals The prevalence of, and risk factors for, loneliness in later life: a survey of older people in Great Britain

2005 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 357-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHRISTINA R. VICTOR ◽  
SASHA J. SCAMBLER ◽  
ANN BOWLING ◽  
JOHN BOND
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Great Britain ◽  
Older People ◽  
Basic Education ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Late Onset ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Social Resources ◽  
Current Health ◽  
Previous Decade

This study examines the prevalence of loneliness amongst older people in Great Britain, and makes comparisons with the findings of studies undertaken during the last five decades. In addition, the risk factors for loneliness are examined using a conceptual model of vulnerability and protective factors derived from a model of depression. Loneliness was measured using a self-rating scale, and measures of socio-demographic status and health/social resources were included. Interviews were undertaken with 999 people aged 65 or more years living in their own homes, and the sample was broadly representative of the population in 2001. Among them the prevalence of ‘severe loneliness’ was seven per cent, indicating little change over five decades. Six independent vulnerability factors for loneliness were identified: marital status, increases in loneliness over the previous decade, increases in time alone over the previous decade; elevated mental morbidity; poor current health; and poorer health in old age than expected. Advanced age and possession of post-basic education were independently protective of loneliness. From this evidence we propose that there are three loneliness pathways in later life: continuation of a long-established attribute, late-onset loneliness, and decreasing loneliness. Confirmation of the different trajectories suggests that policies and interventions should reflect the variability of loneliness in later life, for undifferentiated responses may be neither appropriate nor effective.

scholarly journals What happens to anxiety disorders in later life?

2002 ◽  
Vol 24 (suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 74-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerard JA Byrne
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Older People ◽  
Older Patients ◽  
Depressive Disorders ◽  
Late Onset ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Pharmacological Interventions ◽  
Measuring Change ◽  
Pathological Anxiety

Anxiety disorders decline in prevalence with advancing age but remain more common than depressive disorders. They are often of late-onset and there is frequent comorbidity with depressive disorders and physical illness. While anxiety disorders in older people are likely to respond to the same non-pharmacological interventions that have been shown to work in younger people, there is currently little formal evidence of this. Although there is some evidence that the non-benzodiazepine anxiolytic medication, buspirone, is effective against late life anxiety symptoms, clinical trials in older people with rigorously diagnosed anxiety disorders are needed. An anxiety scale with demonstrated reliability and validity in older people is needed for screening for pathological anxiety and for measuring change in older patients undergoing treatment for anxiety disorders.

scholarly journals Loneliness as a Biographical Disruption—Theoretical Implications for Understanding Changes in Loneliness

2020 ◽  
Vol 75 (9) ◽  
pp. 2029-2039
Author(s):  
Deborah J Morgan ◽  
Vanessa Burholt
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Older People ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Narrative Interviews ◽  
Biographical Disruption ◽  
Stability And Change ◽  
Life Study ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Objectives While a great deal is known about the risk factors that increase vulnerability to loneliness in later life, little research has explored stability and change in levels of loneliness. Methods Narrative interviews were conducted with 11 participants who were identified as being lonely during Wave 1 of the Maintaining Function and Well-being in Later Life Study Wales (CFAS Wales). The interviews were used to explore stability and change in levels of loneliness from the perspective of older people themselves. The interviews focused on participant’s perspectives of the events that triggered loneliness, stability, and change in levels of loneliness over time as well as participant’s responses to loneliness. Results The findings show that participants experienced losses and loneliness as biographical disruption. How participants and their wider social network responded to these losses had implications for the individual’s trajectory through loneliness. Discussion Drawing on a biographical lens, the study reframed the events that triggered loneliness as disruptive events. This article discusses the utility of biographical disruption in understanding stability and change in loneliness. The findings suggest how drawing on valued identities may help lonely adults transition out of loneliness.

Is apathy in late-life depressive illness related to age-at-onset, cognitive function or vascular risk?

2004 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 481-486 ◽  
Author(s):  
Indrag K. Lampe ◽  
Thea J. Heeren
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Late Onset ◽  
Late Life ◽  
Depressive Illness ◽  
Vascular Risk Factors ◽  
Vascular Risk ◽  
Onset Type ◽  
Depressed Patients

Background: Apathy has been shown to be an important feature of degenerative, vascular or traumatic brain disorder. Its presence is associated with high depression scores, higher age, low performance on frontal tasks, and more severe deep white matter hyperintensities. In late-life depression, lack of interest or motivation are often more prominent than depressed mood, especially in the late-onset type. It was hypothesized that in a heterogeneous sample of elderly depressed patients, apathy is associated with late-onset type of depression, cognitive dysfunction or vascular risk factors.Method: The Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES) was administered to twenty-nine elderly (≥60 years) inpatients with a DSM-IV major depression or dysthymic disorder. The severity of the depression was measured with the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and cognitive function with the Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE). The presence of vascular risk factors was traced in the patient's medical records.Results: Apathy was found in 86% of the patients. The AES-score was correlated with the negative symptom score, but not with total MADRS or MMSE-score. No difference in AES-score between early-onset depressed (n = 16) and late-onset depressed (n = 13) patients was found, and between patients with or without vascular risk.Conclusion: Apathy is a main feature of moderate to severe depressive illness in elderly patients and related to the negative symptoms of the disorder. Further studies should include less severely depressed patients and investigate the relation between depression severity and apathy.

Depression in Later Life

1995 ◽  
Vol 167 (5) ◽  
pp. 649-652 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. C. Baldwin ◽  
Barbara Tomenson
Keyword(s):  
Vascular Disease ◽  
Early Onset ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Late Onset ◽  
Later Life ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Course Of Illness ◽  
Anxiety Item ◽  
History Of ◽  
Item Scores

BackgroundDepression in later life is often thought to differ from that at other times of adulthood. The evidence for this is controversial but is important to any proposed organic model of depression in the elderly. Here, early- and late-onset depressions in later life are compared.MethodFifty-seven depressed patients with a mean age of 74 were studied, 21 with an early onset (aged 59 or less) and 36 with a late onset. All were suffering from major depression according to DSM–III–R. The measures at entry included severity and symptoms, cognitive function, antecedent life events, physical health and vascular risk factors and/or vascular disease. We also recorded any family history of mood disorders, as well as the course of illness.ResultsThe anxiety item scores of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale were significantly higher in those with an early onset, but otherwise symptoms differed little. Heritability was greater in the early-onset group. There was a striking association of vascular disease and/or risk with late-onset patients.ConclusionsVascular disease is associated with late-onset depression. This is consistent with the hypothesis that depression in later life is a more ‘biological’ disorder.

scholarly journals There Is No Community Here: Living Alone, Place, and Older Peoples' Risk of Social Isolation

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 122-123
Author(s):  
Rachel Weldrick
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Older People ◽  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Significant Risk ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Living Alone ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Diverse Range

Abstract Existing research has identified significant risk factors for experiencing social isolation in later life including chronic health conditions, mobility impairments, and living alone among others. Although many older people who live alone maintain active social lives, living alone remains a top predictor of social isolation. Less is known about other types of risk factors, such as place-based risks and social exclusion. Despite calls to examine the role of place and social exclusion in social isolation risk, few studies have investigated the links. Models of isolation risk have often omitted place-based factors and social exclusion and focused largely on individual-level risks. In order to address these gaps, this paper presents the findings of 17 in-depth, qualitative interviews with community-dwelling older people who live alone (aged 65-93). Participants were recruited using a theoretical sampling strategy to ensure that a diverse range of neighbourhood types were represented among the participants (e.g., walkable vs. car-dependent neighbourhoods). Interview transcripts were analyzed using a constructivist grounded approach resulting in several major themes. Participants described aspects of their local environments as shaping their risk of isolation including infrastructure and amenities delivered in place, and neighbourhood makeup, among others. These themes are further examined through the lens of place-based exclusion and used to conceptualize how dimensions of both place and social exclusion fit into the model of known isolation risk factors. An adapted model of risk is presented to guide future research and intervention planning.

scholarly journals Early Predictors of De Novo and Subthreshold Late-Onset ADHD in a Child and Adolescent Cohort

2019 ◽  
pp. 108705471989288
Author(s):  
Chao-Yu Liu ◽  
Philip Asherson ◽  
Essi Viding ◽  
Corina U. Greven ◽  
Jean-Baptiste Pingault
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Low Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Late Onset ◽  
Adhd Symptoms ◽  
Childhood Onset ◽  
Parent Rating ◽  
Childhood Predictors

Objective: The study aimed to identify early childhood risk factors for de novo and subthreshold late-onset ADHD. Method: ADHD symptoms were assessed in 9,875 participants from the Twins Early Development Study (TEDS) using the Conners’ Parent Rating Scale at ages 8, 12, 14, and 16 years, along with other childhood characteristics and adolescent outcomes. Multinomial logistic regressions were implemented to identify early childhood predictors of late-onset ADHD and childhood-onset persistent ADHD, with non-ADHD controls as the reference category. Results: Male sex, increased childhood conduct problems, and low socioeconomic status predicted de novo late-onset ADHD. Additional risk factors predicted subthreshold late-onset ADHD and childhood-onset persistent ADHD. Late-onset ADHD symptoms were also accompanied by increased co-occurring behavioral and emotional problems. Conclusion: Findings of different childhood predictors between subthreshold and de novo late-onset ADHD suggest further investigation into time-varying environmental and biological factors driving psychopathological changes is warranted to fully characterize late-onset ADHD.

Community-based case–control study of depression in older people

1999 ◽  
Vol 175 (4) ◽  
pp. 340-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. R. M. Copeland ◽  
Ruoling Chen ◽  
Michael Dewey ◽  
C. F. M. McCracken ◽  
Chris Gilmore ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Older People ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Alcohol Problems ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Mental Problems ◽  
Assisted Diagnosis

BackgroundRisk factors of depression in later life, particularly for sub-cases and for psychotic and neurotic types of depression, are unclear.AimsTo identify such risk factors.MethodOver 5200 older people ($65 years), randomly selected from Liverpool, were interviewed using the Geriatric Mental State (GMS)and the Minimum Data Set (MDS). The computer-assisted diagnosis AGECAT identified 483 cases and 575 sub-cases of depression and 2451 with no mental problems. Logistic regression was employed to examine factors relevant to caseness.ResultsIn multiple logistical regression, odds ratios (ORs) were significantly high for being female (2.04, 95% CI 1.56–2.69), widowed (2.00, 1.18–3.39), having alcohol problems (4.37, 1.40–2.94), physical disablement (2.03, 1.40–2.94), physical illness (1.98,.1.25–3.15), taking medications to calm down (10.04, 6.41 −15.71), and dissatisfaction with life (moderate 4.54, 3.50–5.90; more severe 29.00, 16.00–52.59). Good social networks reduced the ORs. If sub-cases were included as controls, the statistical significance was reduced.ConclusionsAge was not associated with depression in later life whereas gender, physical disablement and dissatisfaction with life were. The sub-cases shared many risk factors with cases, suggesting that prevention may need to be attempted at an early stage.

Reduced hippocampal volumes and memory loss in patients with early- and late-onset depression

2005 ◽  
Vol 186 (3) ◽  
pp. 197-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Hickie ◽  
Sharon Naismith ◽  
Philip B. Ward ◽  
Keelin Turner ◽  
Elizabeth Scott ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Older People ◽  
Genetic Risk ◽  
Early Onset ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Late Onset ◽  
Memory Loss ◽  
Genetic Risk Factors ◽  
Hippocampal Volume ◽  
Volume Changes

BackgroundHippocampal volume reduction has been reported inconsistently in people with major depression.AimsTo evaluate the interrelationships between hippocampal volumes, memory and key clinical, vascular and genetic risk factors.MethodTotals of 66 people with depression and 20 control participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging and clinical assessment. Measures of depression severity, psychomotor retardation, verbal and visual memory and vascular and specific genetic risk factors were collected.ResultsReduced hippocampal volumes occurred in older people with depression, those with both early-onset and late-onset disorders and those with the melancholic subtype. Reduced hippocampal volumes were associated with deficits in visual and verbal memory performance.ConclusionsAlthough reduced hippocampal volumes are most pronounced in late-onset depression, older people with early-onset disorders also display volume changes and memory loss. No clear vascular or genetic risk factors explain these findings. Hippocampal volume changes may explain how depression emerges as a risk factor to dementia.

scholarly journals Effects of exercise on depressive symptoms in older adults with poorly responsive depressive disorder

2002 ◽  
Vol 180 (5) ◽  
pp. 411-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne S. Mather ◽  
Cesar Rodriguez ◽  
Moyra F. Guthrie ◽  
Anne M. McHarg ◽  
Ian C. Reid ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Depressive Disorder ◽  
Older People ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Geriatric Depression Scale ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Exercise Group ◽  
Modest Improvement ◽  
Exercise Classes

BackgroundDepression is common in later life.AimsTo determine whether exercise is effective as an adjunct to antidepressant therapy in reducing depressive symptoms in older people.MethodPatients were randomised to attend either exercise classes or health education talks for 10 weeks. Assessments were made ‘blind’ at baseline, and at 10 and 34 weeks. The primary outcome was seen with the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD). Secondary outcomes were seen with the Geriatric Depression Scale, Clinical Global Impression and Patient Global Impression.ResultsAt 10 weeks a significantly higher proportion of the exercise group (55% v. 33%) experienced a greater than 30% decline in depression according to HRSD (OR=2.51, P=0.05, 95% Cl 1.00–6.38).ConclusionsBecause exercise was associated with a modest improvement in depressive symptoms at 10 weeks, older people with poorly responsive depressive disorder should be encouraged to attend group exercise activities.

scholarly journals A research framework for the United Nations Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021–2030)

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Keating
Keyword(s):  
United Nations ◽  
Older People ◽  
Family Life ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Social Resources ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Healthy Ageing ◽  
Life Courses ◽  
Main Components

AbstractThe mission of UN Decade of Healthy Ageing (2020–2030) is to improve the lives of older people, their families and their communities. In this paper, we create a conceptual framework and research agenda for researchers to knowledge to address the Decade action items. The framework builds on the main components of healthy ageing: Environments (highlighting society and community) across life courses (of work and family) toward wellbeing (of individuals, family members and communities). Knowledge gaps are identified within each area as priority research actions. Within societal environments, interrogating beliefs about ageism and about familism are proposed as a way to illustrate how macro approaches to older people influence their experiences. We need to interrogate the extent to which communities are good places to grow old; and whether they have sufficient resources to be supportive to older residents. Further articulation of trajectories and turning points across the full span of work and of family life courses is proposed to better understand their diversities and the extent to which they lead to adequate financial and social resources in later life. Components of wellbeing are proposed to monitor improvement in the lives of older people, their families and communities. Researcher priorities can be informed by regional and national strategies reflecting Decade actions.

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