scholarly journals Dynamics of Multimorbidity Resilience and Health Outcomes Over Time in Community-Residing Older Adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 890-891
Author(s):  
Yingzhi Xu ◽  
Zahra Rahmaty ◽  
Eleanor McConnell ◽  
Tingzhong (Michelle) Xue ◽  
Bada Kang ◽  
...  

Abstract Multimorbidity resilience may mitigate the adverse effects of multiple chronic diseases on older adults’ health. Wister et al.’s (2018) multimorbidity resilience index was developed and tested in a cross-sectional sample of older adults in Canada. Building on these findings, we examined the reciprocal relationships of resilience on outcomes to test these potentially mitigating effects in a community-based, U.S. sample of older adults over time. The study sample includes 1,054 older adults from waves 2 and 3 of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) study (Waite et al 2020). Wister et al.’s (2018) index was mapped to NSHAP measures, and reciprocal relationships of multimorbidity resilience and health outcomes over a 5-year period was tested using structural equation modeling (SEM). Results indicated significant effects of multimorbidity resilience on self-rated physical health and pain. Interestingly, a better functional resilience at baseline conferred better self-rated physical health at follow-up, while better psychological resilience predicted lower pain level. By contrast, the influence of health outcomes on any domain of multimorbidity resilience was not detectable at all, supporting the direction of these associations from resilience to outcomes. The study systematically investigated the dynamic hypotheses between multimorbidity resilience and health outcomes. That is, whether they are determinants or consequences, or both. Our findings suggest multimorbidity resilience predicts subsequent 5-year change in health outcomes, especially self-rated physical health and pain level, but not vice versa, strengthening the evidence of the importance of resilience in the health of older adults.

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S923-S923
Author(s):  
Yingzhi Xu ◽  
Eleanor McConnell ◽  
Tingzhong (Michelle) Xue ◽  
Kirsten Corazzini

Abstract Multimorbidity is widespread, costly, and associated with a range of deleterious outcomes; it affects an estimated 67-80% of older adults. This study tests the validity of a multimorbidity resilience index developed in a Canadian sample of older adults by Wister et al., (2018), with a U.S.-based sample, using National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) data, and draws upon the index to investigate the effects of resilience on outcomes over time. We mapped Wister et al.’s (2018) index to NSHAP measures, and assessed cross-sectional associations with health outcomes, using logistic regression. To assess the effects of resilience on health outcomes over time, we estimated mixed models of the relationships between resilience on outcomes over a 5-year interval. Total resilience was consistently associated with improved outcomes, including pain level (OR=.51, CI .41-.64); reduced utilization (OR=.45, CI .33-.60); improved mental health (OR=9.13, CI 6.20-13.44); self-rated physical health (OR=6.97, CI 4.76 10.19); and sleep quality (OR=3.66, CI 2.76-4.86). Longitudinal model results indicate change in multimorbidity resilience and number of chronic diseases predict (α=.001) pain level and self-rated physical health. Effects were moderated by socio-demographic factors. Our findings validate Wister et al.’s (2018) resilience index in a U.S. sample, supporting the importance of this measure to capture core components of older adults’ capacity to sustain well-being in the context of living with multiple, chronic conditions. Results from the longitudinal models provide beginning insights into the effects of resilience on symptom experience and perceived health over time, highlighting potential levers for change.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Nikki L. Hill ◽  
Sakshi Bhargava ◽  
Emily Bratlee-Whitaker ◽  
Jennifer R. Turner ◽  
Monique J. Brown ◽  
...  

Background: Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) may be an early indicator of cognitive impairment, but depressive symptoms can confound this relationship. Associations may be influenced by differences between individuals (i.e., between-persons) or how each individual changes in their experiences over time (i.e., within-persons). Objective: We examined depressive symptoms as a mediator of the between- and within-person associations of SCD and objective memory in older adults. Methods: Coordinated analyses were conducted across four datasets drawn from large longitudinal studies. Samples (range: n = 1,889 to n = 15,841) included participants 65 years of age or older with no dementia at baseline. We used multilevel structural equation modeling to examine the mediation of SCD and objective memory through depressive symptoms, as well as direct relationships among SCD, objective memory, and depressive symptoms. Results: Older adults who were more likely to report SCD had lower objective memory on average (between-person associations), and depressive symptoms partially mediated this relationship in three of four datasets. However, changes in depressive symptoms did not mediate the relationship between reports of SCD and declines in objective memory in three of four datasets (within-person associations). Conclusion: Individual differences in depressive symptoms, and not changes in an individual’s depressive symptoms over time, partially explain the link between SCD and objective memory. Older adults with SCD and depressive symptoms may be at greater risk for poor cognitive outcomes. Future research should explore how perceived changes in memory affect other aspects of psychological well-being, and how these relationships influence cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease risk.


2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (14) ◽  
pp. 4445-4464 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sung Joon Jang

This article examines whether an individual’s religiosity has reciprocal relationships with crime and drug use among juvenile offenders. Structural equation modeling is applied to analyze 11-wave panel data from a study of juveniles adjudicated or found guilty of a serious offense in two states. Offenders’ religiosity is measured both objectively (participation in religious activities) and subjectively (religious salience, experiences, and efficacy). While holding constant an offender’s exposure time (the proportion of time on the street), previous levels of crime and drug use, and sociodemographic controls, this study found the relationship between religiosity and crime (i.e., nondrug offending) to be either bidirectional or unidirectional. The relationship between religiosity and drug use (binge drinking, marijuana use, and hard drug use) is, however, unidirectional over time. When unidirectional relationship is found, it is religiosity that decreases crime and drug use, not the other way around. Implications of findings are discussed.


2004 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 247-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philippe Cappeliez ◽  
Sabine Sèvre-Rousseau ◽  
Philippe Landreville ◽  
Michel Préville ◽  

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 579-579
Author(s):  
Haowei Wang ◽  
Kyungmin Kim ◽  
Jeffrey Burr ◽  
Bei Wu

Abstract This study investigated whether older adults’ relationships with their children were associated with their self-reported subjective sleep quality and actigraphy-measured objective sleep characteristics, as well as whether depressive symptoms and loneliness mediated the association between these parent-child relationships and sleep. Data were taken from the second wave of the National Social life, Health, and Aging Project, in which 569 respondents (age 57-85) participated in the sleep module, along with the social network module that provided relationship information for participants and their children. Results from structural equation modeling showed that (1) parents’ closeness with children was associated with better objective sleep (i.e., fragmentation of sleep and percent sleep), (2) more frequent contact with children was related to better subjective sleep quality, (3) depressive symptoms and loneliness were associated with worse subjective sleep quality, and (4) less closeness with children were related to worse subjective sleep quality via older adults’ depressive symptoms. Part of a symposium sponsored by the Sleep, Circadian Rhythms and Aging Interest Group.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S255-S256
Author(s):  
Julie Ober Allen

Abstract Various mental and physical health conditions common among older adults have been linked to cortisol dysregulation (i.e., blunting of daily cortisol patterns) in predominantly cross-sectional studies. Researchers have suggested that cortisol dysregulation interferes with regulatory functions throughout the body and brain, disrupting multiple biological systems, and contributing to the development or progression of negative health outcomes over time. Prospective studies are needed to investigate the causal direction of cortisol dysregulation and poor health outcomes. This study examined whether diurnal cortisol patterns predicted subsequent health deterioration using longitudinal data from the National Survey of Midlife in the US (MIDUS). Analysis was restricted to 1,336 participants who provided salivary cortisol (4 samples/day for 4 days) and health data in MIDUS II (2004-2009) and updated health data in MIDUS III (2013-2014) (mean age=56, 45% male, 94% White). We simultaneous modeled multiple measures of diurnal cortisol patterns and their relationships to changes in mental (depressive symptomology) and physical (self-rated physical health, functional limitations, and number of new chronic health conditions) health from MIDUS II to III. All indicators of physical health deterioration were associated with cortisol, though not all measures demonstrated relationships in the expected direction. Mental health change over time was unrelated to cortisol. Older age was also associated with increased functional limitations and more new chronic conditions but improvements in mental health over time. Findings suggest that diurnal cortisol patterns contribute to physical health deterioration over time, independent of age-related decline, but not mental health changes in later life.


Author(s):  
Miles G Taylor ◽  
Dawn Carr

Abstract Objectives Research on life course inequality and successful aging has sought to understand how events and challenges may lead to poor outcomes in later life for some individuals, while others fare well in the face of adversity. Among internalized resources, research suggests psychological resilience is protective in the face of challenges, but little is known about the predictive efficacy of this measure compared to other resources such as mastery. This paper examines connections between psychological resilience and later life health compared to other internalized resources. Method Standardized associations between 4 resources (resilience, mastery, optimism, hopelessness) and 5 health outcomes were tested using short-term health transitions and longer term health trajectories in a structural equation modeling (SEM) framework using the Leave Behind Questionnaire (LBQ) and linked Health and Retirement Study (HRS) between 2006/2008 and 2014/2016 (n = 11,050–12,823). Results Psychological resilience had consistent and robust associations with health transitions and trajectories. Further, the effects of this resource were generally 4–10 times greater than for mastery, optimism, and hopelessness in combined models. Trajectory analyses replicate these findings and suggest the beneficial associations of resilience over time were persistent for some health outcomes, and cumulative for others. Discussion The results suggest that psychological resilience is powerfully associated with health in later life, with substantially greater predictive efficacy than other commonly used resource measures. Future research should establish how this intrapersonal resource works alongside structural and interpersonal resources to promote and protect health and functioning in the face of challenges and adversity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 380-381
Author(s):  
Kexin Yu ◽  
Paul Duberstein ◽  
Bernadette Fausto

Abstract Cognition is influenced by the neighborhood social and physical environment, but the underlying mechanisms by which neighborhood environment affects cognition are unclear. We tested the hypothesis that sleep mediates the effects between environmental exposures and cognition. We employed structural equation modeling to examine interrelationships among neighborhood social and physical environment, actigraphic sleep characteristics, and global cognition in a sample of older adults (N=3,196) from Round 2 of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project. Results indicated that participants with better cognition lived in salutary (e.g., cohesive, safe) social environments (est.=0.03, p<.001) and less disruptive (e.g., noisy, polluted) physical environments (est.=-0.04, p<.001). The mediation hypothesis was partially supported. Time spent awake after sleep onset mediated the social environment-cognition relationship, but sleep characteristics did not mediate the physical environment-cognition relationship. Future work should identify other environmental influences on sleep and cognition in aging to inform public health intervention priorities.


2017 ◽  
Vol 74 (6) ◽  
pp. 1072-1080 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seoyoun Kim ◽  
Patricia A Thomas

Abstract Objectives We aimed to investigate potential direct and indirect pathways linking social support and health, while considering mental health and chronic inflammation as inter-related outcomes. The study also contributes to the literature through testing potential bidirectional relationships between social support, mental health, and chronic inflammation. Methods This study uses Structural Equation Modeling and two waves of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP), including 1,124 community-living older adults aged 57–85 years at Wave 1 (2005). Results Analyses show that social support influenced mental health indirectly through better self-esteem. Moreover, social support was associated with lower levels of chronic inflammation but chronic inflammation did not influence social support. Discussion The growing number of older adults with an aging population urgently calls for a greater understanding of factors influencing their physical and mental health. The results of this study demonstrate the importance of social support in older adults’ health, while specifically focusing on understudied indirect pathways from social support to health.


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