scholarly journals Financial Changes and Health During COVID-19 in the National Health and Aging Trends Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 566-566
Author(s):  
Melissa Hladek ◽  
Thomas Cudjoe ◽  
Brittany Drazich ◽  
Qiwei Li ◽  
Sarah Szanton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Sleep Quality ◽  
National Health ◽  
National Sample ◽  
Financial Difficulty ◽  
Income Loss ◽  
Poverty Threshold ◽  
Financial Changes

Abstract This study tested associations between income decline and financial difficulty with mental health (lack of feeling anxious/depressed, recurring thoughts/nightmares, avoiding activities/thoughts, feeling jumpy/on guard) and sleep quality during COVID-19 among a national sample of 3,188 older adults. Approximately 8% of US older adults reported income decline and 6% reported financial difficulty. Although income decline and financial difficulty rates were both statistically significantly higher among those financially strained before COVID-19 (19% and 34%, respectively), income decline was more common among those with incomes ≥200% of the poverty threshold (9%) whereas financial difficulty was more common among those with incomes <200% poverty (10%). Adjusting for sociodemographic, health and depressive symptoms before COVID-19, financial difficulty was associated with worse mental health (b= -2.39, p<0.001) and sleep quality (b=-0.820, p<0.001), but income loss was not (b= -0.685, p=0.092 and b= -0.405, p=0.082, respectively). Timely interventions are needed for older adults reporting COVID-19 financial difficulty.

scholarly journals Profile Groups Based on Lifestyle and Differences in Mental Health and Cognition

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 404-404
Author(s):  
Joseph Kim ◽  
Kyuree Kim
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Latent Class ◽  
Mail Survey ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Self Rated Health ◽  
Final Sample ◽  
Group 2 ◽  
Mean Differences

Abstract The purpose of this study was to identify the profiles of older adults according to lifestyle. Data for the study were from the 2017 Consumption and Activities Mail Survey (CAMS). CAMS 2017 is a questionnaire mailed to a sub-sample of respondents from the Health and Retirement Study. Participants were limited to older adults 65 and older, and the final sample consisted of 1136 older adults. The sample included 443 men and 693 women. Caucasians comprised 82.0% of the participants. Lifestyle was measured through items assessing the amount of time spent on activities. Due to high skewness, the items were dichotomized, 0=no time spent on activity and 1=time spent on the activity. Latent class analysis (LCA) was performed to identify groups based on lifestyle. LCA is a person-centered approach for identifying unobserved subgroups based on similarity in responses to items. Three lifestyle groups were identified. Group 1 was “Outgoing” with 471 individuals. Group 2 was “Adequate” with 229 individuals. Group 3 was “Inactive” with 436 individuals. An ANOVA was then conducted to assess mean differences in self-rated health, cognition, depressive symptoms, and loneliness for the three lifestyle groups. The “Outgoing” and “Adequate” groups had significantly higher scores on self-rated health and cognition, and in addition, significantly lower scores on depressive symptoms and loneliness compared to the “Inactive” group. No significant differences were observed between the “Outgoing” and “Adequate” groups. An implication from this study is the importance of maintaining an active lifestyle in later life for better mental health and cognition.

scholarly journals The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on wellbeing and cognitive functioning of older adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah De Pue ◽  
Céline Gillebert ◽  
Eva Dierckx ◽  
Marie-Anne Vanderhasselt ◽  
Rudi De Raedt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
The Impact

AbstractCOVID-19 took a heavy toll on older adults. In Belgium, by the end of August, 93% of deaths due to COVID-19 were aged 65 or older. Similar trends were observed in other countries. As a consequence, older adults were identified as a group at risk, and strict governmental restrictions were imposed on them. This has caused concerns about their mental health. Using an online survey, this study established the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adults aged 65 years or older, and which factors moderate this impact. Participants reported a significant decrease in activity level, sleep quality and wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Depression was strongly related to reported declines in activity level, sleep quality, wellbeing and cognitive functioning. Our study shows that the COVID-19 pandemic had a severe impact on the mental health of older adults. This implies that this group at risk requires attention of governments and healthcare.

scholarly journals SEPARATED KIN: RURAL-URBAN MIGRATION AND MENTAL HEALTH TRAJECTORIES OF OLDER ADULTS LEFT BEHIND IN RURAL CHINA

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S880-S880
Author(s):  
Zhiyong Lin
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Rural China ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Migrant Children ◽  
Urban Migration ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Rate Of Increase ◽  
The Impact

Abstract As the processes of urbanization and globalization have intensified across the world, a burgeoning literature has documented the impact of emigration on the health of family members left behind in emigrant communities. Although the association between children’s migration and parental well-being is well documented, few have examined the health implications of children’s migration in the milieu of multiple children and further differentiated between children’s short-term and long-term migration. Therefore, I argue that it is not the geographic locality of a single child but the composition of all children’s location that matters. I further suggest that the impact of children’s migration on parental wellbeing is conditioned on the duration of children’s migration. Using a six waves longitudinal data (2001-2015) collected in rural China, this paper compares mental health (measured as depressive symptoms) trajectories of old adults (aged 60 and older) across different compositions of local and migrant children over a 14-year span. Results from growth curve models show that parents having more migrant children relative to local children experience a more rapid increase in depressive symptoms. In addition, older adults who have their most children migrate away for three or more waves of data have experienced the steepest rate of increase in depressive symptoms. These findings provide new evidence to support the life course processes of mental health disparities among older adults from the perspective of intergenerational proximity.

scholarly journals Depression and Psychological Well-Being as Distinct Constructs: Mutually Exclusive Associations With Biomarker

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 251-251
Author(s):  
Kheng Siang Ted Ng ◽  
Shu Cheng Wong ◽  
Glenn Wong ◽  
Ee Heok Kua ◽  
Anis Larbi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Factor Score ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
The Other ◽  
Factor Scores ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Wide Range

Abstract Despite increasing emphasis on assessing the mental health of older adults, there has been inconclusive evidence on whether depression and psychological well-being (PWB) are fundamentally distinct constructs or representations of the opposite ends of the mental health spectrum. To instantiate either hypothesis, investigation of the associations between mental health scales and biomarkers have been proposed. First, we assessed depressive symptoms and PWB in community-dwelling older adults (N=59, mean age=67) using the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) and Ryff’s Scale of PWB (comprising six sub-scales). We measured a wide range of immune markers employing ELISA and flow cytometry. Subsequently, we used principal component analysis (PCA) to aggregate and derived biomarker factor scores. Lastly, multiple linear regressions were performed to examine the associations between the scales and the derived biomarker factor scores, controlling for covariates. PCA extracted six biomarker factors. Biomarker factor score 1 was significantly associated with PWB (β=-0.029, p=0.035) and the PWB sub-scale, self-acceptance (β=-0.089, p=0.047), while biomarker factor score 4 was significantly associated with the PWB sub-scale, purpose in life (β=-0.087, p=0.025). On the other hand, biomarker factor 6 was significantly associated with SDS (β=-0.070, p=0.008). There were mutually- exclusive associations between the scales with biomarker factor scores, supporting the hypothesis of distinct constructs. Our findings expanded the biomarkers of depression and PWB, deepening understanding of the biological underpinnings of depressive symptoms and PWB. These findings have implications in field work, since researchers could not infer one construct from the other, the examination of both constructs are essential.

scholarly journals Perceived Discrimination Trajectories and Depressive Symptoms Among Middle-Aged and Older Black Adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kellee White ◽  
Bethany A Bell ◽  
Shuo J Huang ◽  
David R Williams
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Racial Discrimination ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Negative Binomial ◽  
Perceived Discrimination ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Time Point

Abstract Background and Objectives Perceived discrimination is a risk factor for poor mental health. However, most studies measure discrimination at one time point, which does not account for heterogeneity in the cumulative patterning of exposure to discrimination. To address this gap, we examine the association between discrimination trajectories and depressive symptoms among black middle-aged and older adults. Research Design and Methods Data were analyzed from a subsample of black Health and Retirement Study respondents (2006–2018, N = 2926, older than 50 years). General discrimination and racial discrimination trajectories were constructed based on the Everyday Discrimination Scale using repeated measures latent profile analyses. We examined the extent to which the association between discrimination trajectories are differentially associated with depressive symptoms (8-item Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale) using negative binomial regression models adjusted for potential confounders. Effect modification by age and gender was tested. Results Individuals in the persistently high (incident rate ratio [IRR]: 1.70; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.49–1.95) and moderate general discrimination trajectories (IRR: 1.19; 95% CI: 1.06–1.33) were more likely to have elevated depressive symptoms in comparison to those in the persistently low trajectory. This relationship was strongest among older adults aged older than 65 years. Respondents in the persistently high racial discrimination trajectory (IRR: 1.50; 95% CI: 1.29–1.73) had a higher risk of elevated depressive symptoms in comparison to respondents in the persistently low trajectory. Sensitivity analyses indicated that there was an independent association between persistently high racial discrimination trajectory class and elevated depressive symptoms, after adjusting for racial discrimination measured at a single time point. Discussion and Implications Characterizing longitudinal patterns of perceived discrimination may facilitate the stratification of mental health risk and vulnerability among black middle-aged and older adults. Trajectories of racial discrimination may inform risk of worse depressive symptoms more accurately than a single assessment of discrimination.

scholarly journals THE MODERATING EFFECT OF RAISING ONE’S GRANDCHILDREN ON THE RELATION BETWEEN SLEEP AND DEPRESSION

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S678-S678
Author(s):  
Melanie Stearns ◽  
Danielle K Nadorff
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Risk Factor ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Sleep Problems ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Poor Sleep ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Poor Sleep Quality ◽  
Custodial Grandparents

Abstract Recent evidence has shown that poor quality sleep is associated with depression, particularly among older individuals (Bao et al., 2017; Nadorff, Fiske, Sperry, & Petts, 2012). Moreover, given the high prevalence of depressive symptoms among older adults, it is important to identify possible risk factors of poor sleep quality. One possible risk factor is being a custodial grandparent (raising one’s grandchildren), as increased caregiving responsivities are associated with increased depressive symptoms (Brand-Winterstein, Edelstein, & Bachner, 2018). Based upon these previous findings, the current study examines the effect of custodial status on the relation between sleep quality and depressive symptoms. The sample (N = 466) was a subset of individuals recruited in the second wave of the MIDUS biomarkers project completed in 2009 who answered the sleep, caregiving, and depressive symptoms variables of interest. Measures included the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and a question regarding custodial grandparent status. The current study aimed to examine whether poor sleep quality might serve as a risk factor for experiencing depressive symptoms and how custodial grandparents might differ from other older adults. Moderation analyses were conducted using SPSS’ Process macro on the sample. The interaction between global sleep quality and custodial grandparent status was significant in predicting depressive symptoms, t (1, 465) = 3.90, p = .04, such that custodial grandparents reported a stronger positive correlation between greater global sleep problems and depressive symptoms than non-custodial grandparents. Implications, future directions, and limitations are discussed.

scholarly journals Effects of Mind–Body Interventions Involving Meditative Movements on Quality of Life, Depressive Symptoms, Fear of Falling and Sleep Quality in Older Adults: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (18) ◽  
pp. 6556
Author(s):  
Manuel Weber ◽  
Thiemo Schnorr ◽  
Mareike Morat ◽  
Tobias Morat ◽  
Lars Donath
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Fear Of Falling ◽  
Randomized Controlled

Background: The aim of the present systematic meta-analytical review was to quantify the effects of different mind–body interventions (MBI) involving meditative movements on relevant psychological health outcomes (i.e., quality of life (QoL), depressive symptoms, fear of falling (FoF) and sleep quality) in older adults without mental disorders. Methods: A structured literature search was conducted in five databases (Ovid, PsycINFO, PubMed, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science). Inclusion criteria were: (i) the study was a (cluster) randomized controlled trial, (ii) the subjects were aged ≥59 years without mental illnesses, (iii) an intervention arm performing MBI compared to a non-exercise control group (e.g., wait-list or usual care), (iv) psychological health outcomes related to QoL, depressive symptoms, FoF or sleep quality were assessed and (v) a PEDro score of ≥5. The interventions of the included studies were sub-grouped into Tai Chi/Qigong (TCQ) and Yoga/Pilates (YP). Statistical analyses were conducted using a random-effects inverse-variance model. Results: Thirty-seven randomized controlled trials (RCTs) (comprising 3224 participants) were included. Small to moderate-but-significant overall effect sizes favoring experimental groups (Hedges’ g: 0.25 to 0.71) compared to non-exercise control groups were observed in all outcomes (all p values ≤ 0.007), apart from one subdomain of quality of life (i.e., social functioning, p = 0.15). Interestingly, a significant larger effect on QoL and depressive symptoms with increasing training frequency was found for TCQ (p = 0.03; p = 0.004). Conclusions: MBI involving meditative movements may serve as a promising opportunity to improve psychological health domains such as QoL, depressive symptoms, FoF and sleep quality in older adults. Hence, these forms of exercise may represent potential preventive measures regarding the increase of late-life mental disorders, which need to be further confirmed by future research.

scholarly journals Life review therapy for older adults with depressive symptoms in general practice: results of a pilot evaluation

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (12) ◽  
pp. 1801-1808 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lotte Hendriks ◽  
Marjolein A. Veerbeek ◽  
Daniëlle Volker ◽  
Lindsay Veenendaal ◽  
Bernadette M. Willemse
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
General Practice ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Life Review ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Life Review Therapy ◽  
General Practices

ABSTRACTObjective:General practices play an important role in the detection and treatment of depressive symptoms in older adults. An adapted version of the indicated preventive life review therapy group intervention called Looking for Meaning (LFM) was developed for general practice and a pilot evaluation was conducted.Design:A pretest-posttest design was used. One week before and one week after the intervention participants filled out questionnaires.Setting:In six general practices in the Netherlands the adapted intervention was given.Participants:Inclusion criteria were > 60 years and a score of 5 or higher on the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D).Intervention:The length and number of LFM sessions were shortened and the intervention was given by one mental health care nurse practitioner (MHCNP).Measurements:The impact on mental health was analyzed by depressive symptoms (CES-D) as the primary outcome and anxiety symptoms (HADS-A), psychological well-being (PGCMS) and mastery (PMS) as secondary outcomes. An evaluative questionnaire was included to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability.Results:Most participants were satisfied with the adaptations of the number (72%) and length (72%) of sessions. The overall sample showed a significant decrease in depressive symptoms after the intervention. No impact was found on psychological well-being, anxiety symptoms and mastery.Conclusions:The intervention is feasible and acceptable for older adults with depressive symptoms and has an impact on their depressive symptoms.

scholarly journals SOCIAL ACTIVITIES AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AMONG OLDER ADULTS IN MEXICO: IMPLICATIONS OF GENDER AND PHYSICAL HEALTH

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S215-S215
Author(s):  
Maria Monserud
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Older Men ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Social Activities ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Studies in developed countries indicate that social activities can make a difference in mental health in later life. Yet, research on potential benefits of social activities for older adults in developing countries, including Mexico, has been scarce. This study uses the two most recent waves (2012, 2015) of the Mexican Health and Aging Study to investigate the impact of social activities on depressive symptoms among older men (n = 4, 749) and women (n = 6,527), aged 50+, in Mexico. The results of Ordinary Least Squares regressions indicate that it is important to differentiate among specific social activities in later life. Particularly, not only group-based but also solitary social activities were predictive of better mental health. Moreover, the findings demonstrate several gender differences and similarities. Participation in clubs, communication with relatives and friends, physical exercise, and watching television were beneficial for mental health among men, whereas volunteering, playing games, and making crafts were associated with fewer depressive symptoms among women. At the same time, reading as well as doing household chores were related to better mental health among older Mexicans, regardless of gender. Furthermore, this study shows that self-reported health, functional limitations, chronic conditions, and frequent pain might shape the implications of social activities for depressive symptoms among older adults in Mexico. The insights from this study can be helpful for intervention programs that are being developed to promote benefits of group-based and solitary social activities for mental health among older men and women with different levels of physical health.

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