scholarly journals Coping With Uncertainty: Use of Contemplative Practices Amid a Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 132-132
Author(s):  
Nirmala Lekhak ◽  
Tirth Bhatta ◽  
Tim Goler ◽  
Eva Kahana
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Intervention Studies ◽  
Coping Resources ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Contemplative Practices ◽  
Practice Meditation ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Diverse Groups ◽  
Meditative Practices

Abstract Contemplative practices have been used as coping resources to reduce the negative influences of adverse life situations on mental health. The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted older adults, causing immense uncertainty, stress, and anxiety. By using data from our “Coping with Pandemic” nationwide web-based survey (n=1861), we examine the utilization of practices such as meditation, prayer, and yoga across social, economic, and health status during the pandemic. Consistent with studies conducted before the pandemic, we find significantly greater utilization of meditation and yoga among women and higher educated individuals. Findings showed significantly greater usage of prayer among women and Blacks. Unlike previous studies, we documented greater usage of meditative practices among Blacks than Whites. Older adults with higher anxiety were significantly more likely to practice meditation and yoga. Our study offers much needed guidance for future intervention studies aimed at improving mental health among diverse groups of older adults.

scholarly journals Stress, Trauma, and Resilience Among U.S. Asian Older Adults: Findings From the Rutgers Asian RCMAR

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 623-624
Author(s):  
XinQi Dong ◽  
Melissa Simon ◽  
Bei Wu
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Protective Factors ◽  
Sexual Minority ◽  
Coping Resources ◽  
Psychological Wellbeing ◽  
Intimate Violence ◽  
Environment And Health ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Diverse Groups

Abstract U.S. Asians are the fastest growing group of older adults in the nation, increasing by 68% from 2000-2018. However, research on the psychological wellbeing of this population is limited. Drawing on the research of Rutgers Asian RCMAR Scientists, this symposium will address the impacts of stress, trauma and resilience on the psychological wellbeing of diverse groups of U.S. Asian older adults. Session 1 will assess the prevalence of psychological distress among older LGBT and non-LGBT U.S. Asian older adults, and the role of discrimination in medical care and intimate violence on psychological distress. Session 2 will take a mixed-methods approach to examining caregiver burden and depressive symptoms of Chinese American spouses and adult-children who provided care for their spouse or parents with dementia. Session 3 will explore the risk and protective factors for the mental health of sexual minority U.S. Asian older adults using data from the Research Program on Genes, Environment and Health. Session 4 will identify different patterns of coping repertoires of older immigrants, based on a combination of individual, family, and community coping resources, and the optimal coping repertoire that is associated with the best psychological outcomes. In summation, this symposium describes the psychological wellbeing of diverse groups of U.S. Asian older adults, including sexual minority, caregiver and immigrant groups. The symposium addresses both risk factors and the protective factors and coping mechanisms that mediate and mitigate psychological wellbeing and aims to inform interventions to improve psychological wellbeing outcomes in U.S. Asian older adults.

scholarly journals Feasibility and Conceptualization of an e-Mental Health Treatment for Depression in Older Adults: Mixed-Methods Study (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christiane Eichenberg ◽  
Markus Schott ◽  
Adam Sawyer ◽  
Georg Aumayr ◽  
Manuela Plößnig
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Mental Health Treatment ◽  
Common Mental Disorders ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
Health Treatment ◽  
Web Based ◽  
The Everyday

BACKGROUND Depression is one of the most common mental disorders in older adults. Unfortunately, it often goes unrecognized in the older population. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to identify how Web-based apps can recognize and help treat depression in older adults. METHODS Focus groups were conducted with mental health care experts. A Web-based survey of 56 older adults suffering from depression was conducted. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 2 individuals. RESULTS Results of the focus groups highlighted that there is a need for a collaborative care platform for depression in old age. Findings from the Web-based study showed that younger participants (aged 50 to 64 years) used electronic media more often than older participants (aged 65 years and older). The interviews pointed in a comparable direction. CONCLUSIONS Overall, an e-mental (electronic mental) health treatment for depression in older adults would be well accepted. Web-based care platforms should be developed, evaluated, and in case of evidence for their effectiveness, integrated into the everyday clinic.

scholarly journals The Association Between Health, Social Engagement, and Psychological Well-Being Among Older Adults in China

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 95-96
Author(s):  
Yuekang Li
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Coping Resources ◽  
Psychological Wellbeing ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Stress Process

Abstract Psychological health and health-related quality of life of older adults have been long minimized by caregivers, service providers and the society in developing countries, such as China. According to the Stress Process Model, the stress of physical disadvantages influences mental health outcomes directly and indirectly. However, being socially engaged has the potential to reduce disease burden and improve psychological wellbeing of older adults. The purpose of this study is to examine the role played by social engagement in the pathway through which physical health predicts mental health. Using the WHO Study on Global AGEing and Adult Health China wave 2010, 6,276 individuals ages 60 years and older were included for analyses. Structural equation modeling was used to construct a directional path leading from the functioning and chronic disease, impacting the social engagement, in turn impacting the psychological wellbeing. All variables in this model are latent constructs. Functioning and chronic diseases in later life were associated with social engagement and psychological wellbeing, and the link between social engagement and psychological wellbeing was also significant. The effect of function was greater than that of chronic diseases. Though the significant indirect effect of physical health on psychological wellbeing was not supported in this study, this study suggests the multiple roles of social engagement as coping resources in the stress process of physical impairment and illness of older adults. This present study also adds to the existing literature by exploring how SEM methods can be applied to studies of social engagement.

scholarly journals Online social engagement, depression, and anxiety among older adults

2021 ◽  
pp. 146144482110543
Author(s):  
Matthias Hofer ◽  
Eszter Hargittai
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Using Data

As opportunities for social interactions proliferate online, questions arise as to how engagement in such activities may relate to mental health. Given older adults’ shrinking networks and increasing use of information and communication technologies (ICTs), online interactions could offer alternatives for connections that could ultimately benefit older users’ mental health. This article examines associations between older adults’ online social engagement and their mental health. Using data from an online survey of older adults ages 60+, we find positive and negative associations between different forms of online social engagement and anxiety. In terms of depression, two forms of online social engagement showed positive associations with this mental health indicator. Our results can help explain inconclusive findings of previous research on ICT use and mental health by looking at how specific online social activities relate to mental health.

scholarly journals Physical and Mental Health Differences Reported by Three Age Groups of Older Adults With Diabetes

2022 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 233372142110558
Author(s):  
Jungjoo Lee ◽  
Junhyung Kim ◽  
Richard Holden
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Oldest Old ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Analysis Of Covariance ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Health Differences ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Univariate Analyses

Most studies have classified older adults with diabetes into one group despite substantial variation in health status across different stages of late adulthood. In this study, we examined difference in self-reported physical and mental health among three age groups of older adults with diabetes. Using data from the 2016 National Social Life, Health and Aging Project, Wave 3, we classified 424 individuals diagnosed with diabetes into three age groups, young-old (YO): 50–64 years; middle-old (MO): 65–74; and oldest old (OO): 75+ years. A one-way multivariate analysis of covariance was used to assess group differences, followed by univariate analyses. The results indicate that the YO group reported significantly lower physical health and higher depression than the MO group and higher levels of loneliness than the MO and OO groups. These findings indicate that physical and mental health may differ among different age groups of older adults with diabetes and suggest that the YO might be more vulnerable to diminished physical and mental health than the other age groups.

scholarly journals Dissemination of a COVID-19 Rapid Response Telehealth Group Addressing Worry and Social Isolation Among Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 570-570
Author(s):  
Rachel Weiskittle
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Group Intervention ◽  
Mental Health Clinics ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Health Clinics ◽  
Geriatric Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Treatments

Abstract In response to the urgent need for virtual mental health treatments during the COVID-19 pandemic, an 8-week group intervention deliverable over video or telephone was developed and disseminated in March 2020. Manual content addressed social isolation and information related to COVID-19. In August 2020, a national web-based provider feedback survey was disseminated to evaluate feasibility of the manual. Respondents (n = 21) across a variety of geriatric mental health clinics reported this intervention to be effective and clinically useful with their patients in providing social support and in mitigating COVID-19 anxieties. The majority of respondents delivered the group in multiple cohorts and found the manual adaptable beyond the early pandemic period.

scholarly journals Health and Social Care During Coronavirus Outbreak: The Exploitation of Long Lasting Memories – LLM Care

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evangelia Romanopoulou ◽  
Vasiliki Zilidou ◽  
Sotiria Gylou ◽  
Ioanna Dratsiou ◽  
Aikaterini Katsouli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Training ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Health Domains ◽  
Containment Measures ◽  
The Web

The Covid-19 pandemic has globally introduced a new crisis with severe consequences and led to a series of pandemic-related containment measures, including social distancing and self-isolation may cause significant impact on mental health. This study describes a social care initiative that was actualized during the Covid-19 outbreak with regard to the potential benefits in older adults’ quality of life through the use of the Integrated Healthcare System Long Lasting Memories Care (LLM Care), and specifically the web-based cognitive training software. Online questionnaires, assessing various psychosocial and mental health domains, were distributed to 28 older adults before and after the interaction with the software aiming at evaluating the potential positive effect and usability of cognitive training software. Overall, the study demonstrates that the interaction with the web-based cognitive training software during the pandemic plays a significant role in maintaining mental health among older people, through improvements in well-being.

scholarly journals Contemplative Practices and Later Life Memory Among Women

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 156-156
Author(s):  
Nirmala Lekhak ◽  
Tirth Bhatta
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Life Experiences ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Coping Resources ◽  
Relaxation Techniques ◽  
Pharmacological Interventions ◽  
Contemplative Practices ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Meditative Practices

Abstract Contemplative practices such as meditation, yoga, and prayer had been used as coping resources to reduce the adverse impacts of stressful life experiences. Despite emerging scholarship on the benefits of contemplative practices for cognitive health, scant research has examined the influence of such practices on both episodic and working memory among women in later life. While the use of private prayer outside of church or temple has been shown to have statistically significant positive effect on episodic memory among older adults, previous studies have relied on measures that fail to capture various aspects of meditative practices (e.g., mental imagery, relaxation). Drawing from the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (n=2245) conducted during 2006-2008, this study investigates the effect of contemplative practices (e.g. meditation / imagery / relaxation technique, yoga, and prayer) on episodic and working memory. Multivariate regression model estimates suggests women who either used meditation, imagery or relaxation techniques had significantly better episodic (b=0.61, p=0.001) and working memory (b=0.32, p<0.05) as compared to those who did not use those methods. Surprisingly, the influence of prayer on episodic memory was negative (b=-0.36, p<0.05), while the influence of yoga on memory was not statistically significant. Our findings underscore the need to incorporate meditative practices in non-pharmacological interventions that are designed to improve later life memory.

Perceived Distributive Unfairness and Mental Health: The Gender-contingent Buffering Effects of Religion

2021 ◽  
pp. 215686932097879
Author(s):  
Jong Hyun Jung
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
General Social Survey ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Coping Resources ◽  
Religious Attendance ◽  
Moderating Effects ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
Stress Buffering ◽  
Using Data

Prior research has established that perceived distributive unfairness is associated with poor mental health. The purpose of this study is to examine whether religion moderates this association and whether gender conditions the moderating effects of religion. Using data from the 2012 Korean General Social Survey ( N = 1,375), the current analyses show that perceived distributive unfairness is positively associated with depression. However, each of the two indicators of religion—religious attendance and salience—weakens the positive association between perceived distributive unfairness and depression among women, but not men. These observations suggest that religion provides a stress-buffering effect against perceived distributive unfairness only for women. Thus, the findings of this study highlight the gendered ways that religion shapes the association between perceived distributive unfairness and mental health. I discuss the theoretical implications of these findings for views about the complex interrelationships among stress, coping resources, gender, and mental health.

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