Differences in anxiety and depression symptoms: comparison between older and younger clinical samples

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (9) ◽  
pp. 1523-1532 ◽  
Author(s):  
Viviana M. Wuthrich ◽  
Carly J. Johnco ◽  
Julie L. Wetherell
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Mood Disorders ◽  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Clinical Samples ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Social Situations ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Symptom Profiles

ABSTRACTBackground:Anxiety and depression symptoms change over the lifespan and older adults use different terms to describe their mental health, contributing to under identification of anxiety and depression in older adults. To date, research has not examined these differences in younger and older samples with comorbid anxiety and depression.Methods:One hundred and seven treatment-seeking participants (47 older, 60% female, and 60 younger, 50% female) with anxiety and mood disorders completed the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule and a symptom checklist to examine differences in symptom severity, symptom profiles and terms used to describe anxiety and mood.Results:The findings indicated several key differences between the presentation and description of anxiety and depression in younger and older adults. Older adults with Social Phobia reported fearing a narrower range of social situations and less distress and interference. Older adults with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) reported less worry about interpersonal relationships and work/school than younger adults, however, there were no differences between age groups for behavioral symptoms endorsed. Further older adults reported phobia of lifts/small spaces more frequently than younger adults. Depressed older depressed adults also reported more anhedonia compared to younger adults, but no differences in terms of reported sadness were found. Finally, older and younger adults differed in their descriptions of symptoms with older adults describing anxiety as feeling stressed and tense, while younger adults described anxiety as feeling anxious, worried or nervous.Conclusions:Clinicians need to assess symptoms broadly to avoid missing the presence of anxiety and mood disorders especially in older adults.

Cognitive Load Affects Speech Motor Performance Differently in Older and Younger Adults

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
pp. 1258-1277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan K. MacPherson
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Motor Performance ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Incongruent Condition ◽  
Sentence Production ◽  
Movement Duration ◽  
Production Task ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Speech Motor

PurposeThe aim of this study was to determine the impact of cognitive load imposed by a speech production task on the speech motor performance of healthy older and younger adults. Response inhibition, selective attention, and working memory were the primary cognitive processes of interest.MethodTwelve healthy older and 12 healthy younger adults produced multiple repetitions of 4 sentences containing an embedded Stroop task in 2 cognitive load conditions: congruent and incongruent. The incongruent condition, which required participants to suppress orthographic information to say the font colors in which color words were written, represented an increase in cognitive load relative to the congruent condition in which word text and font color matched. Kinematic measures of articulatory coordination variability and movement duration as well as a behavioral measure of sentence production accuracy were compared between groups and conditions and across 3 sentence segments (pre-, during-, and post-Stroop).ResultsIncreased cognitive load in the incongruent condition was associated with increased articulatory coordination variability and movement duration, compared to the congruent Stroop condition, for both age groups. Overall, the effect of increased cognitive load was greater for older adults than younger adults and was greatest in the portion of the sentence in which cognitive load was manipulated (during-Stroop), followed by the pre-Stroop segment. Sentence production accuracy was reduced for older adults in the incongruent condition.ConclusionsIncreased cognitive load involving response inhibition, selective attention, and working memory processes within a speech production task disrupted both the stability and timing with which speech was produced by both age groups. Older adults' speech motor performance may have been more affected due to age-related changes in cognitive and motoric functions that result in altered motor cognition.

Video Games and Emotion Regulation

GeroPsych ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 205-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn L. Ossenfort ◽  
Derek M. Isaacowitz
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Video Games ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Interactive Media ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Media Usage ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
Media Preferences

Abstract. Research on age differences in media usage has shown that older adults are more likely than younger adults to select positive emotional content. Research on emotional aging has examined whether older adults also seek out positivity in the everyday situations they choose, resulting so far in mixed results. We investigated the emotional choices of different age groups using video games as a more interactive type of affect-laden stimuli. Participants made multiple selections from a group of positive and negative games. Results showed that older adults selected the more positive games, but also reported feeling worse after playing them. Results supplement the literature on positivity in situation selection as well as on older adults’ interactive media preferences.

scholarly journals Exploring the Frequency of Anxiety and Depression Symptoms in a Brazilian Sample during the COVID-19 Outbreak

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 4847
Author(s):  
Fabiana Silva Ribeiro ◽  
Flávia H. Santos ◽  
Luis Anunciação ◽  
Lucas Barrozo ◽  
Jesus Landeira-Fernandez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Severe Depression ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Sociodemographic Factors ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Brazilian Sample

The COVID-19 pandemic is a public health emergency of international concern, and the main measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus causing COVID-19 were social distancing, quarantine, and self-isolation. Although these policies are effective in containing the spread of the virus, they might represent a challenge to psychological well-being, increasing levels of depressive and anxiety-related symptoms. Aims: We explored the frequency of anxiety and depression symptoms during COVID-19 restrictions and associations with sociodemographic factors in a Brazilian sample. Method: Data of a total of 936 Brazilian adults (68.2% women) aged 18 to 77 years old (M = 38.95, SD = 13.91) were collected through an online survey. Results: In general, we observed a frequency of 17.36% for severe anxiety and 66.13% for severe depression symptoms, in which younger participants (18–39 years old) and women showed higher scores in anxiety and depression scales compared to older age groups. Logistic regressions showed that women were more likely to present severe symptoms of anxiety (20.4%) compared to men (10.9%), as well as respondents in the educational sector (24.3%) compared to those in the health sector (10%). Conclusions: We highlight the importance of mental health professionals in developing strategies to help younger adults to mitigate the effects of social restriction.

scholarly journals Are the Acute Effects of THC Different in Aging Adults?

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 590
Author(s):  
Raeghan L. Mueller ◽  
Jarrod M. Ellingson ◽  
L. Cinnamon Bidwell ◽  
Angela D. Bryan ◽  
Kent E. Hutchison
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Young Group ◽  
Self Administration ◽  
Behavioral Measures ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Aging Adults

In recent years of expanding legalization, older adults have reported the largest increase in cannabis use of any age group. While its use has been studied extensively in young adults, little is known about the effects of THC in older adults and whether the risks of cannabis might be different, particularly concerning intoxication and cognition. The current study investigated whether age is associated with the deleterious effects of THC on cognitive performance and other behavioral measures before and after ad libitum self-administration of three different types of cannabis flower (THC dominant, THC + CBD, and CBD dominant). Age groups consisted of young adults (ages 21–25) and older adults (ages 55–70). Controlling for pre-use scores on all measures, the THC dominant chemovar produced a greater deleterious effect in younger adults compared with older adults in tests of learning and processing speed, whereas there were no differences between old and young in the effects of the other chemovars. In addition, the young group reported greater cannabis craving than the older group after using the THC chemovar. Consistent with some reports in the preclinical literature, the findings suggest that older adults may be less sensitive to the effects of THC on cognitive and affective measures.

scholarly journals Housing Transitions and Recovery of Older Adults Following Hurricane Sandy

2018 ◽  
Vol 74 (6) ◽  
pp. 1041-1052 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexis A Merdjanoff ◽  
Rachael Piltch-Loeb ◽  
Sarah Friedman ◽  
David M Abramson
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Family Health ◽  
Hurricane Sandy ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Younger Age ◽  
Observational Cohort ◽  
Emergency Housing ◽  
Young Old ◽  
Post Disaster

Abstract Objectives This study explores the effects of social and environmental disruption on emergency housing transitions among older adults following Hurricane Sandy. It is based upon the Sandy Child and Family Health (S-CAFH) Study, an observational cohort of 1,000 randomly sampled New Jersey residents living in the nine counties most affected by Sandy. Methods This analysis examines the post-Sandy housing transitions and recovery of the young-old (55–64), mid-old (65–74), and old-old (75+) compared with younger adults (19–54). We consider length of displacement, number of places stayed after Sandy, the housing host (i.e., family only, friends only, or multi-host), and self-reported recovery. Results Among all age groups, the old-old (75+) reported the highest rates of housing damage and were more likely to stay in one place besides their home, as well as stay with family rather than by themselves after the storm. Despite this disruption, the old-old were most likely to have recovered from Hurricane Sandy. Discussion Findings suggest that the old-old were more resilient to Hurricane Sandy than younger age groups. Understanding the unique post-disaster housing needs of older adults can help identify critical points of intervention for their post-disaster recovery.

scholarly journals Anxiety and depression symptoms in older adults during coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic: A community-based cross-sectional study

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 205031212110400
Author(s):  
Kemal Jemal ◽  
Tinsae Abeya Geleta ◽  
Berhanu Senbeta Deriba ◽  
Mukemil Awol
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Chronic Disease ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
High Morbidity ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Symptoms Of Depression

Objectives: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has caused high morbidity and mortality in older adults over the world. Because the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic greatly affects older adults who have a preexisting health condition, they are generally susceptible to a high incidence of severe symptoms of anxiety and depression. Therefore, we aimed to assess the prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms in older adults during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Methods: Community-based cross-sectional study was completed in August 2020. Standardized and pretested General Anxiety Disorder–7 and Geriatric Depression Scale were used to screen the symptoms of anxiety and depression, respectively. Data were entered into EpiData (version 4.3.2) and transferred to SPSS (version 24) for further analysis. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were carried out to determine the significantly associated variables with a 95% confidence interval at p < 0.05. Results: Of the total older adults interviewed, 68.7% had developed symptoms of anxiety and 59.9% had symptoms of depression during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Female participants, having a chronic disease and poor knowledge of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, were significantly associated with anxiety symptoms. Age category of 81 to 90 and above 90, lack of social support, and having a chronic disease were significantly associated with symptoms of depression. Conclusion: The symptoms of anxiety and depression among older adults in the North Shoa Zone during coronavirus disease 2019 were higher than before the coronavirus disease 2019 happened. The results were evidence points for developing a psychological intervention to tackle the older adults’ mental health needs in the community during and after the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

Human-Technology Interaction Factors Associated with Electronic Personal Health Records (ePHRs) Use Among Younger and Older Adult Users: A Secondary Data Analysis (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Luo ◽  
Krystal Dozier ◽  
Carin Ikenberg
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Personal Health Record ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Personal Health ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Clinical Notes ◽  
Interaction Factors ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Two Age Groups

BACKGROUND An electronic personal health record (ePHR), also known as a personal health record (PHR), was broadly defined as an electronic application through which individuals can access, manage, and share their health information in a secure and confidential environment. Although ePHRs can benefit individuals as well as caregivers and healthcare providers, the use of ePHRs among individuals continues to remain low. The relationship between age and ePHRs use has been documented in previous studies, which indicated younger age was related to higher ePHRs use, and patients who are younger were more likely to use ePHRs. OBJECTIVE The current study aims to examine the relationship between human-technology interaction factors and ePHRs use among adults, and then compare the different effects of human-technology interaction factors on ePHRs use between younger adults (18-54 years old) and older adults (55 years of age and over). METHODS We analyzed the from the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS5, Cycle 3) collected from U.S. adults aged 18 years old and over in 2019. Descriptive analysis was conducted for all variables and each item of ePHRs use. Bivariate tests (Pearson test for categorical variable and F-test for continuous variables) were conducted over four age groups. Lastly, adjusting for socio-demographics and healthcare resources, a weighted multiple linear regression was conducted to examine the relationship between human-technology interaction factors and ePHRs use. RESULTS The final sample size was 1,363 and divided into two age groups: 18-54 years old and 55 years of age and older. The average level of ePHRs use was low (Mean=2.76, range=0-8). There is no significant difference on average ePHRs use between two age groups. Including clinical notes was positively related to ePHRs use in both groups: 18-54 years old (beta=0.28, P<0.01), 55 years old and above (beta=0.15, P<0.01). While accessing ePHRs using a smartphone app was only associated with ePHRs use among younger adults (beta=0.29, P<0.001), ease to understand health information in ePHRs was positively linked to ePHRs use only among older adults (beta=0.13, P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS This study found that including clinical notes was positively related to ePHRs use in both age groups, which suggested that including clinical notes as a part of ePHRs might improve the effective use of ePHRs among patients. Moreover, accessing ePHRs using a smartphone app was associated with higher ePHRs use among younger adults while ease of understanding health information in ePHRs was linked to higher ePHRs use among older adults. The design of ePHRs should provide the option of being accessible through mobile devices to promote greater ePHRs use among young people. For older adults, providers could add additional notes to explain health information recorded in the ePHRs.

Age Differences in the Malleability of Attitudes toward Automated Shared Mobility

2021 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 128-128
Author(s):  
Kathryn Baringer ◽  
Dustin J. Souders ◽  
Jeremy Lopez
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Educational Video ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Automated Vehicles ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Difference Scores ◽  
Video Condition ◽  
Middle Aged Adults

Introduction: The use of shared automated vehicles (SAVs) should lead to several societal and individual benefits, including reduced greenhouse gas emissions, reduced traffic, and improved mobility for persons who cannot safely drive themselves. We define SAVs as on-demand, fully automated vehicles in which passengers are paired with other riders traveling along a similar route. Previous research has shown that younger adults are more likely to report using conventional ridesharing services and are more accepting of new technologies including automated vehicles (AVs). However, older adults, particularly those who may be close to retiring from driving, stand to greatly benefit from SAV services. In order for SAVs to deliver on their aforementioned benefits, they must be viewed favorably and utilized. We sought to investigate how short educational and/or experiential videos might impact younger, middle-aged, and older adult respondents’ anticipated acceptance and attitudes toward SAVs. Knowing what types of introductory experiences improve different age groups’ perceptions of SAVs will be beneficial for tailoring campaigns aiming to promote SAV usage. Methods: We deployed an online survey using the platform Prolific for middle-aged and older respondents, and our departmental participant pool for younger adults, collecting 585 total responses that resulted in 448 valid responses. Respondents answered questions regarding their demographic attributes, their ridesharing history, preconceptions of technology, as well as their anticipated acceptance attitudes towards SAVs as measured by the dimensions of the Automated Vehicle User Perception Survey (AVUPS). After this, respondents were randomly assigned to an intervention condition where they either watched 1) an educational video about how SAVs work and their potential benefits, 2) an experiential video showing a AV navigating traffic, 3) both the experiential and educational videos, or 4) a control video explaining how ridesharing works. Anticipated acceptance attitudes towards SAVs were measured again after this intervention and difference scores calculated to investigate the effect of the intervention conditions. Prolific respondents were paid at a rate of $9.50/hour and younger adults received course credit. Results: Controlling for preconceptions of technology and ridesharing experience, a MANOVA was run on the difference scores of the dimensions of the AVUPS (intention to use, trust/reliability, perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEOU), safety, control/driving-efficacy, cost, authority, media, and social influence). Both older and middle-aged adults expressed significantly greater increases in PEOU and PU of SAVs than younger adults. We also observed an interaction between age and condition for both PU and PEOU. For PU, older adults’ difference scores were found to be significantly greater than younger adults’ for the control video condition. With PEOU, older adults’ difference scores were significantly greater than both younger adults’ for the control video condition, and middle-aged adults had greater difference scores for the educational-only video condition than younger or older adults. Discussion: The increases in PU observed for older adults in the control condition suggests that educating them on how to use currently available ridesharing services might transfer to and/or highlight the benefits that automated ridesharing might provide. The PEOU interactions also suggest that middle-aged adults might respond more positively than younger or older adults to an educational introduction to SAVs. Conclusion: The positive findings pertaining to PU and PEOU show that exposure to information related to SAVs has a positive impact on these attitudes. PU’s and PEOU’s positive relationship to behavioral intentions (BI) in the Technology Acceptance Model, coupled with the findings from this study, bode well for higher fidelity interventions seeking to inform and/or give individuals experience with SAVs. Providing information on how currently available ridesharing services work helped our older adult respondents recognize the potential usefulness of SAVs. Knowing that different age groups may respond better to educational versus experiential interventions, for example middle-aged adults in this study responding more positively to the educational video condition than younger or older adults, may be useful for targeted promotional campaigns.

scholarly journals EXPLORING AGE, GENDER, AND RELATIONSHIP CLOSENESS DIFFERENCES IN RESPONSES TO IGNORED DISRESPECT

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S305-S305
Author(s):  
Jenessa C Steele ◽  
Amanda Chappell ◽  
Rachel Scott
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Negative Emotions ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Emotional Responses ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Relationship Closeness ◽  
Close Condition

Abstract Emotional responses to disrespect tend to be negative (Hawkins, 2015). Little is known about how responses to disrespect vary across age groups and relationship closeness. It is unknown whether older adults have more emotional protection against disrespectful experiences, or are more deeply affected due to relationship closeness. Overall, we might expect that older adults react less negatively to disrespect compared to young adults, as they are more-skilled emotion regulators (Carstensen, 1991; English & Carstensen, 2014). We aimed to explore if, and under which circumstances, older adults are more or less sensitive to disrespect compared to younger adults. Three hundred participants responded to six scenarios illustrating ignored disrespect. Participants were randomly assigned to close or distant relationship disrespect scenarios. Relationship closeness was first determined by requesting participants identify a person in each layer of Kahn and Antonucci’s (1980) Social Convoy Model. Identified names were then automatically inserted into the six scenarios. Emotional responses and sensitivity to each scenario were recorded. Participants in the close condition reported more sensitivity to disrespect and negative emotions than participants in the distant condition. Females reported more sensitivity to disrespect and negative emotions than males. We did not find overwhelming support for age differences in responses to disrespect. A single scenario indicated younger participants more sensitive to disrespect than older participants. Findings suggest it is more hurtful to be disrespected by someone close to you and females may be more sensitive to disrespect than males. More research investigating the role of age in disrespect is needed.

scholarly journals Age Differences in Material Deprivation in Finland: How do Consensus and Prevalence-Based Weighting Approaches Change the Picture?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilari Ilmakunnas ◽  
Lauri Mäkinen
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Material Deprivation ◽  
Prevalence Rates ◽  
Group Level ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
New Information ◽  
Deprivation Indices

AbstractWhile material deprivation is often used to measure poverty, analyses focusing on the measurement of material deprivation are scarce. This study provides new information on material deprivation by analyzing how differences in the considerations of necessities and possession of deprivation items among all respondents and within population subgroups affect group-level differences in material deprivation in Finland. In line with many previous studies on material deprivation, this study focused on age groups. There is a significant age gradient regarding considerations of necessities, possession, and deprivation of many deprivation items. On average, younger adults experience material deprivation more often than older adults do. This study considers the differences in the considerations of necessities and possession of deprivation items using different weighting approaches. The study found that these differences are not largely transmitted to deprivation indices. Two causes of this finding were found: (1) individuals, on average, are not deprived of items in which there are differences between age groups regarding consensus and prevalence and (2) in those items in which deprivation is high, the consensus and the prevalence rates are often lower compared to other items. The results provide new information on which factors are important when using weighting approaches to measure material deprivation.

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