Visual Hallucinations in Older People: Appraisals but not Content or Phenomenology Influence Distress

2015 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 705-710 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Lai ◽  
Vicki Bruce ◽  
Daniel Collerton
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older People ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Visual Hallucinations ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
High Distress

Background: A previous study (Gauntlett-Gilbert and Kuipers, 2005) has suggested that distress associated with complex visual hallucinations (CVHs) in younger adults with psychosis may more strongly relate to appraisals of meaning than to the content of the hallucination. However, visual hallucinations are most commonly seen in the disorders of later life, where this relationship has not been investigated. Aim: To establish if there is a relationship between appraisals of CVHs and distress in older, non-psychotic people with CVHs. Method: All variables were measured using a semi-structured interview and were compared between a high distress group (n = 16) and a low distress group (n = 19). Results: The high distress group rated their hallucinations as more malevolent and omnipotent, with greater negative implications for physical and mental health. There was no significant difference between groups on ratings of hallucination content (independently rated), frequency, awareness or control. Conclusion: Appraisals of CVHs are linked to distress.

The impact of age-related risks and inequalities on mental health in later life

2020 ◽  
pp. 81-104
Author(s):  
Alisoun Milne
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older People ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Age Discrimination ◽  
Psychological Wellbeing ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Indirect Discrimination ◽  
The Impact

In broad terms there are two sets of age-related risks to mental health. The first set are those arising directly from experiences and losses common to later life, including physical ill health and/or disability, being a carer, retirement, and bereavement. These are associated with impaired psychological wellbeing and heightened risk of depression, particularly amongst older people with few economic or social resources. The second set of risks arise from ageism and age discrimination, and their intersection with other types of discrimination such as sexism for older women. Direct and indirect discrimination is widespread; it is located in all areas of society including health and social care services. It is profoundly damaging to older peoples’ psychological wellbeing and is associated with fear, helplessness, low self-esteem, anxiety and depression. It is also linked to exclusion, marginalisation and abuse. In recent years there have been efforts to ensure that older people are overtly included in policies intended to improve the population’s physical and mental health; this includes access to treatments e.g. for depression. There has also been a focus on addressing age discrimination in specific arenas e.g. in employment and mental health services. These initiatives have had mixed success.

Doing time in care homes: insights into the experiences of care home residents in Germany during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Miranda Leontowitsch ◽  
Frank Oswald ◽  
Arthur Schall ◽  
Johannes Pantel
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older People ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Developmental Psychology ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Specific Response ◽  
Physical And Mental Health

Abstract Residents of care homes across the globe are affected by the spread of SARS-CoV-2 as they have been identified as a high-risk group and because they experienced strict social isolation regulations during the first wave of the pandemic. Social isolation of older people with poor physical and mental health is strongly associated with mental health problems and decreased life expectancy. Other research has shown that older people managed to adapt to the changes brought about by the pandemic and have linked this to the concept of resilience. The aim of this research project was to investigate how this applied to residents in care home settings during the first phases of the contact ban in Germany from sociology, developmental psychology and environmental gerontology perspectives, and to gain in-depth understanding of residents’ experiences. This paper draws on structured interview data collected from residents in two care homes during early June 2020 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. The findings show that their experiences were shaped by three factors: care home settings and the approach of staff to handling the contact ban; biographical sense of resilience; and a hierarchy of life issues. The findings highlight the importance of locally specific response mechanisms in care homes, agency and belonging of residents despite health-related limitations and the importance of a critical (gendered) lens on understanding their experiences.

scholarly journals Loneliness during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparison between Older and Younger People

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (15) ◽  
pp. 7871
Author(s):  
Mostafa Saidur Rahim Khan ◽  
Yoshihiko Kadoya
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older People ◽  
Subjective Health ◽  
Living Condition ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Subjective Health Status ◽  
Policy Interventions ◽  
Mental Health Support ◽  
Health Support ◽  
Precautionary Measures

The precautionary measures and uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic have serious psychological impacts on peoples’ mental health. We used longitudinal data from Hiroshima University to investigate loneliness before and during the pandemic among older and younger people in Japan. We provide evidence that loneliness among both older and younger people increased considerably during the pandemic. Although loneliness among younger people is more pervasive, the magnitude of increase in loneliness during the pandemic is higher among older people. Our logit regression analysis shows that age, subjective health status, and feelings of depression are strongly associated with loneliness before and during the pandemic. Moreover, household income and financial satisfaction are associated with loneliness among older people during the pandemic while gender, marital status, living condition, and depression are associated with loneliness among younger people during the pandemic. The evidence of increasing loneliness during the pandemic is concerning for a traditionally well-connected and culturally collectivist society such as Japan. As loneliness has a proven connection with both physical and mental health, we suggest immediate policy interventions to provide mental health support for lonely people so they feel more cared for, secure, and socially connected.

Socio-Economic Family Background and Adult Children’s Health in Germany: The Role of Intergenerational Transmission of Education

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver Arránz Becker ◽  
Katharina Loter
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Intergenerational Transmission ◽  
Parental Education ◽  
Panel Study ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Children's Health ◽  
Children’S Health ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Intergenerational Transmission Of Education

Abstract This study examines consequences of parental education for adult children’s physical and mental health using panel data from the German Socio-Economic Panel study. Based on random-effects growth curve models (N = 15,144 West German respondents born between 1925 and 1998 aged 18–80), we estimate gender-, age-, and cohort-specific trajectories of physical and mental health components of the SF-12 questionnaire for low and high parental education measured biennially from 2002 to 2018. Findings suggest more persistent effects of parental education on physical than mental health. In particular, both daughters and sons of the lower educated group of parents (with neither parent qualified for university) exhibit markedly poorer physical health over the whole life course and worse mental health in mid-life and later life than those of higher educated parents. Thus, children’s health gradients conditional on parental education tend to widen with increasing age. Once children’s educational attainment is held constant, effects of parental education on children’s health mostly vanish. This suggests that in the strongly stratified West German context with its rather low social mobility, intergenerational transmission of education, which, according to our analyses, has been declining among younger cohorts, contributes to cementing long-term health inequalities across the life course.

4 Return to golf post arthroplasty

2021 ◽  
Vol 55 (16) ◽  
pp. 941.2-941
Author(s):  
S Frankland ◽  
L Hoggett ◽  
P Hughes ◽  
C Nevill
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Open Access ◽  
Joint Replacement ◽  
Population Data ◽  
Initial Increase ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Microsoft Excel ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Mental And Physical Health

AimTo determine the impact of arthroplasty on player handicap, frequency of golf played, return to club competitions and overall mental and physical health using the SF-12.MethodA three page, 30 item, open access survey was sent to a community of over 500,000 golfers via the newsletter for the HowDidIDo® app between 18/04/2019–30/04/2019, inviting users who had undergone a joint replacement to complete. Responses were analysed using Microsoft excel and StatsDirect.ResultsA total of 3043 valid responses were received, the majority were male (n=2392). Mean age was 70 years (25–92). Most respondents had only a single joint replacement (n=1977). Within the cohort, there were mostly hips (n=2092) and knees (n=2069) replaced with far fewer shoulders (n=101), although this concurred with NJR population data. Across the whole cohort, most respondents were playing more (40%) or the same (44%) amount of golf following arthroplasty. Across the cohort only 4% were assumed unable to return to club competitions, while 76% of respondents returned to competitions within six months. Mean handicap prior to arthroplasty was increased (17.6 to 18.9) with no significant difference between hips, knees and shoulders. The SF-12 results were completed for 1094 respondents which when matched for age, demonstrated higher physical (48.59 vs. 43.65) and mental health (55.59 vs.52.10) scores.ConclusionsJoint replacement enables the vast majority of patients to continue or increase the amount of golf played with most returning to club competitions within six months. A slight increase in handicap is demonstrated following surgery in this cohort, with stabilisation after this initial increase. Patients playing golf following arthroplasty demonstrate better physical and mental health than their age matched counterparts.

Physical and Mental Health of Different Types of Orchestra Musicians Compared to Other Professions

2012 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edgar Voltmer ◽  
Mark Zander ◽  
Joachim E Fischer ◽  
Brigitte M Kudielka ◽  
Bernhard Richter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
General Population ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Reference Sample ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Health Score ◽  
Professional Groups ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Physical Health Score

Objectives: This study examined the physical and mental health of orchestra musicians of different types of orchestras compared to a reference sample of the general population and of two other professions. Methods: Professional musicians (n = 429) from nine opera and/or concert orchestras were surveyed with the Short Form-12 general health questionnaire (SF-12). Data were compared with a reference sample (n = 2805) with a sample of physicians (n = 549) and aircraft manufacturers (n = 822). Results: Compared to the reference sample and the two other professional groups, the musicians had a higher physical health score: 53.07 (SD 5.89) vs 49.03 (SD 9.35) reference, 51.26 (SD 7.53) physicians, and 49.31 (SD 7.99) aircraft manufacturers. The musicians’ mental health score was lower compared to the reference sample but did not differ from the other professional groups: 48.33 (SD 9.52) for musicians vs 52.24 (SD 8.10) reference, 48.26 (SD 10.06) physicians, and 48.54 (SD 9.59) aircraft manufacturers. Physical health but not mental health decreased with age in all groups. In physical and mental health, women scored lower than men. There was no significant difference in physical and mental health scores between musicians of concert and opera orchestras. Age and gender accounted for 3.6% of the variance of the physical health score, but none of the demographic characteristics or orchestral roles and functions was predictive for mental health scores. Conclusions: Musicians report better physical but poorer mental health than the general population, but they did not differ in mental health scores from physicians or aircraft manufacturers.

scholarly journals Impact of patient characteristics on the Canadian Patient Experiences Survey–Inpatient Care: survey analysis from an academic tertiary care centre

BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. e021575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fraser D Rubens ◽  
Diana M Rothwell ◽  
Amal Al Zayadi ◽  
Sudhir Sundaresan ◽  
Tim Ramsay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Inpatient Care ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Survey Analysis ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Key Driver ◽  
Driver Analysis ◽  
Canadian Patient

ObjectiveTo determine the role of patient demographics, care domains and self-perceived health status in the analysis and interpretation of results from the Canadian Patient Experience Survey–Inpatient Care.DesignCross-sectional survey.SettingSingle large Canadian two campus tertiary care academic centre.ParticipantsRandom sampling of hospital patients postdischarge.Intervention and main outcome measuresLogistic regression models were developed to analyse topbox scoring on four questions of global care (rate experience, recommend hospital, rate hospital, overall helped). Means of each composite domain were correlated to the four overall scores at the patient level to determine Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients which were plotted against the overall (hospital) domain score for the key driver analysis.ResultsTopbox scoring was decreased with worse degrees of perceived physical and mental health in all four global questions (p<0.05). Female gender and higher levels of education were associated with worse scoring on rate experience, recommend hospital and rate hospital (p<0.001). Whereas there was a significant difference between hospital departments in unadjusted measures, these differences were no longer evident after adjustment with patient covariates. Key driver analysis identified person-centred care, care transition and the domain related to emergency admission as areas of highest potential for improvement.ConclusionsGlobal measures of overall care are influenced by patient-perceived physical and mental health. Caution should be exercised in using patient-satisfaction surveys to compare performance between different healthcare provision entities, as apparent differences could be explained by variation in patient mix rather than variation in performance.

Psychodynamic psychotherapy

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Garner
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Older People ◽  
Human Development ◽  
Psychodynamic Psychotherapy ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Physical Reality ◽  
Good Evidence ◽  
Psychodynamic Therapy ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Psychoanalytic Approach

Psychodynamic therapy is based on a psychoanalytic approach drawing on concepts of human development, relationships and experience. Psychoanalysis is both a technique of investigation and a theory of treatment, and it can help us understand aspects of clinical practice, for example the sometimes apparently irrational responses of patients, families or staff. This chapter explores how psychoanalysis has been relatively slow to encompass older people’s issues, but how it now contributes important insights about maturity and later life. Older people are less likely to be offered psychotherapy even though there is good evidence that they benefit from treatment as much as younger adults. In undertaking therapy with older people, there are particular issues to bear in mind, for example the physical reality of the patient and the setting, as well as the transference and counter transference issues that may arise around this stage of life.

scholarly journals Does social capital interact with economic hardships in influencing older adults’ health? A study from China

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lijuan Gu ◽  
Yang Cheng ◽  
David R. Phillips ◽  
Mark Rosenberg ◽  
Linsheng Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Capital ◽  
Older People ◽  
Social Participation ◽  
Interaction Effect ◽  
Economic Capital ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Neighborhood Cohesion ◽  
Reported Health

Abstract Background The importance of social and economic capital as predictors of health is widely documented, yet the complexity of interactions between them and effects on older people’s health is still unclear. Combining the material and psychosocial explanations of health, this study explores the potential interactions between social and economic capital in influencing older adults’ health in urban and rural China. Methods Using data from the China Family Panel Survey, physical and mental health in 2018 were regressed on social and economic capital indicators in 2016, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics of 3535 respondents aged 65 and older. Rothman’s synergy index was calculated to investigate potential interaction effects. Results Economic hardships were significantly related to both self-reported health and mental health. Neighborhood cohesion and social participation were significantly associated with mental health for all, bonding trust was significantly associated with mental health for urban older people. We found no significant associations between social capital components and self-reported health. There was an interaction effect between low neighborhood cohesion and economic hardships, and between low social participation and economic hardships, creating an increased burden of poor mental health. The interaction effect between low bonding trust and economic hardships on mental health was apparent only among urban older people. Conclusions Geographical settings are important factors in the complexity between social and economic capital in affecting older health. Intervention efforts directed towards reducing simultaneously multiple dimensions of deprivation, such as poverty, social exclusion, social isolation, could be helpful in improving older people’s health. In materially deprived places, policies to promote health equity by improving social capital but without eliminating poverty may be less effective.

scholarly journals Subjective mental health, incidence of depressive symptoms in later life, and the role of epigenetics: results from two longitudinal cohort studies

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Perna ◽  
Yan Zhang ◽  
Pamela R. Matias-Garcia ◽  
Karl-Heinz Ladwig ◽  
Tobias Wiechmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Older People ◽  
Predictive Value ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Mental Hrqol ◽  
Subjective Mental Health

Abstract The role of self-perceived general health in predicting morbidity and mortality among older people is established. The predictive value of self-perceived mental health and of its possible biological underpinnings for future depressive symptoms is unexplored. This study aimed to assess the role of mental health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and of its epigenetic markers in predicting depressive symptoms among older people without lifetime history of depression. Data were based on a subgroup (n = 1 492) of participants of the longitudinal ESTHER study. An epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) of mental HRQOL was conducted using DNA from baseline whole blood samples and logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the predictive value of methylation beta values of EWAS identified CpGs for incidence of depressive symptoms in later life. The methylation analyses were replicated in the independent KORA cohort (n = 890) and a meta-analysis of the two studies was conducted. Results of the meta-analysis showed that participants with beta values of cg27115863 within quartile 1 (Q1) had nearly a two-fold increased risk of developing depressive symptoms compared to participants with beta values within Q4 (ORQ1vsQ4 = 1.80; CI 1.25–2.61). In the ESTHER study the predictive value of subjective mental health for future depressive symptoms was also assessed and for 10-unit increase in mental HRQOL scores the odds for incident depressive symptoms were reduced by 54% (OR 0.46; CI 0.40–0.54). These findings suggest that subjective mental health and hypomethylation at cg27115863 are predictive of depressive symptoms, possibly through the activation of inflammatory signaling pathway.

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