Age Differences and Longitudinal Change in Exposure to Daily Stressors: Three Waves of Diary Data Across 20 Years

Abstract Exposure to daily stress is an important risk factor for healthy aging. We examined cross-sectional age-related differences and longitudinal aging-related change in stressor exposure across three waves of the National Study of Daily Experiences (N=2,914, M=51.53 years, SD=13.55, 56.35% Female) spanning 20 years. Exposure to six types of stressors (arguments, avoided arguments, work overloads, home overloads, network stressors, other) were obtained from telephone interviews over 8 consecutive days in waves conducted in ~1996, ~2008, and ~2017. Longitudinal analyses revealed declines in stressor exposure across 20 years (p<.01), driven by declines in arguments, work overloads, and network stressors specifically. Cross-sectional analyses indicated that older individuals reported stressors less frequently (p<.01), driven by decreases in arguments, avoided arguments, work overloads, and home overloads specifically. Rates of longitudinal decline did not depend on age at baseline. Results suggest that aging-related changes and baseline age differences inform daily stress trajectories in mid- and later-life.

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Characterizing Perceived Control Over Daily Stress: Longitudinal Changes and Associations With Affect

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.826 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 215-215

Author(s):

Jacqueline Mogle ◽

Robert Stawski ◽

Jonathan Rush ◽

David Almeida ◽

Eric Cerino

Keyword(s):

Perceived Control ◽

Healthy Aging ◽

Well Being ◽

National Study ◽

Older Individuals ◽

Daily Stress ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Telephone Interviews ◽

Age Related ◽

Using Data

Abstract Perceived control is an important psychosocial correlate of healthy aging. Using data from the National Study of Daily Experiences (N=1,047, M=55.82 years, SD=10.35, 57.27% Female), we examined cross-sectional age-related differences and longitudinal aging-related change in perceived control over daily stress across 10 years and explored the influence of stressor control on negative affect (NA) and positive affect (PA). Stressor control, NA, and PA were obtained from telephone interviews over 8 consecutive days in measurement bursts conducted in ~2008 and ~2017. Longitudinal analyses revealed significant declines in stressor control across 10 years (p<.001). Cross-sectional analyses revealed marginally lower stressor control among older individuals (p<.10). Within-person associations revealed lower NA and higher PA on days when stressor control was higher than usual (ps<.001). Results suggest that stressor control declines with age and holds promise as an important component of daily stress processes with relevance for health and well-being outcomes across the lifespan.

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Stress Processes Over 2 Decades: Findings From the National Study of Daily Experiences

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.822 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 214-215

Author(s):

David Almeida ◽

Daniel Mroczek

Keyword(s):

Negative Affect ◽

Age Differences ◽

Longitudinal Change ◽

National Study ◽

Stress Process ◽

Daily Stressors ◽

Daily Stress ◽

Daily Diaries ◽

Daily Experiences ◽

Age Related

Abstract Daily experiences of stress and the associated sequelae of affective and physiological changes represent the multiple dimensions of a complex, time-dependent process of how stressors unfold in daily life. Daily diaries capture these time-sensitive processes as they occur under real world conditions. Longitudinal changes in stress processes can then be tracked using a measurement burst design: daily diaries repeated longitudinally. Using this design, the National Study of Daily Experiences (NSDE) has generated more than 35,000 days of data from a national sample of over 2,500 adults assessed repeatedly across 20 years of adulthood. The NSDE features details of more than 10,000 reports daily stress including exposure, appraisal and affective responses from adults ranging in age from 24 to 95 years. The current symposium leverages this unique and influential dataset to examine age differences and aging-related changes in daily stress processes with four presentations from the NSDE. First, Dr. Robert Stawski will discuss longitudinal change and age-related differences in exposure to multiple types of daily stressors. Next, Dr. Susan Charles will examine age differences and change in a key element of the stress process: negative affect. Third, Dr. Eric Cerino will describe longitudinal change in appraisals of daily stressors focusing on stressor control. Finally, Dr. David Almeida will examine changes in negative affect reactivity to daily stressors across the 20 years of the NSDE. Dr. Dan Mroczek will discuss the picture these presentations provide of how aging and age-differences impact the daily stress process and future directions for understanding these trajectories.

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Inhibition and Switching in Healthy Aging: A Longitudinal Study

Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society ◽

10.1017/s1355617716000898 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 23 (1) ◽

pp. 90-97 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Steinunn Adólfsdóttir ◽

Daniel Wollschlaeger ◽

Eike Wehling ◽

Astri J. Lundervold

Keyword(s):

Processing Speed ◽

Predictive Value ◽

Healthy Aging ◽

Older Individuals ◽

Longitudinal Models ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Gender And Education ◽

Age Related ◽

Speed Measure ◽

Interference Test

AbstractObjectives: Discrepant findings of age-related effects between cross-sectional and longitudinal studies on executive function (EF) have been described across different studies. The aim of the present study was to examine longitudinal age effects on inhibition and switching, two key subfunctions of EF, calculated from results on the Color Word Interference Test (CWIT). Methods: One hundred twenty-three healthy aging individuals (average age 61.4 years; 67% women) performed the CWIT up to three times, over a period of more than 6 years. Measures of inhibition, switching, and combined inhibition and switching were analyzed. A longitudinal linear mixed effects models analysis was run including basic CWIT conditions, and measures of processing speed, retest effect, gender, education, and age as predictors. Results: After taking all predictors into account, age added significantly to the predictive value of the longitudinal models of (i) inhibition, (ii) switching, and (iii) combined inhibition and switching. The basic CWIT conditions and the processing speed measure added to the predictive value of the models, while retest effect, gender, and education did not. Conclusions: The present study on middle-aged to older individuals showed age-related decline in inhibition and switching abilities. This decline was retained even when basic CWIT conditions, processing speed, attrition, gender, and education were controlled. (JINS, 2017, 23, 90–97)

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Age-Related Change in the Daily Stressor Reactivity Across 20 Years of Adulthood

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.823 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 215-215

Author(s):

Jacqueline Mogle ◽

Jonathan Rush ◽

David Almeida

Keyword(s):

Stressful Events ◽

National Study ◽

Daily Stressors ◽

Daily Stress ◽

Younger Adults ◽

Affective Reactivity ◽

Telephone Interviews ◽

Age Related ◽

Stress And Health ◽

Mental And Physical Health

Abstract Affective reactivity to everyday stressful events has been shown to be an important predictor of poor mental and physical health. The purpose of this study was to examine longitudinal changes in daily stress across 30 years of adulthood as a critical first step for understanding aging-related trends in daily stress. We used data from the National Study of Daily Experiences (NSDE) to calculate exposure and reactivity to daily stressors collected during telephone interviews over the course of 8 consecutive days. These daily assessment bursts were conducted in 1997, 2007, and 2018. Data were comprised of 33,931 daily interviews from 2,880 adults ages 25-74 at the first burst. Results indicated decreased stressor reactivity over time but this decrease was greater for younger adults. Discussion will focus on how examining change in daily stress processes is critical for illuminating stress and health.

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Cognition in Healthy Aging

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18030962 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (3) ◽

pp. 962

Author(s):

Macarena Sánchez-Izquierdo ◽

Rocío Fernández-Ballesteros

Keyword(s):

Life Span ◽

Cognitive Functioning ◽

Healthy Aging ◽

Intervention Program ◽

Later Life ◽

Cognitive Change ◽

Individual Variability ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Age Related ◽

Experimental Trials

The study of cognitive change across a life span, both in pathological and healthy samples, has been heavily influenced by developments in cognitive psychology as a theoretical paradigm, neuropsychology and other bio-medical fields; this alongside the increase in new longitudinal and cohort designs, complemented in the last decades by the evaluation of experimental interventions. Here, a review of aging databases was conducted, looking for the most relevant studies carried out on cognitive functioning in healthy older adults. The aim was to review not only longitudinal, cross-sectional or cohort studies, but also by intervention program evaluations. The most important studies, searching for long-term patterns of stability and change of cognitive measures across a life span and in old age, have shown a great range of inter-individual variability in cognitive functioning changes attributed to age. Furthermore, intellectual functioning in healthy individuals seems to decline rather late in life, if ever, as shown in longitudinal studies where age-related decline of cognitive functioning occurs later in life than indicated by cross-sectional studies. The longitudinal evidence and experimental trials have shown the benefits of aerobic physical exercise and an intellectually engaged lifestyle, suggesting that bio-psycho-socioenvironmental factors concurrently with age predict or determine both positive or negative change or stability in cognition in later life.

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Fasting concentrations and postprandial response of 1,2-dicarbonyl compounds 3-deoxyglucosone, glyoxal and methylglyoxal are not increased in healthy older adults

The Journals of Gerontology Series A ◽

10.1093/gerona/glab331 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Catrin Herpich ◽

Bastian Kochlik ◽

Daniela Weber ◽

Christiane Ott ◽

Tilman Grune ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Age Differences ◽

Healthy Aging ◽

Serum Glucose ◽

Older Individuals ◽

Dicarbonyl Compounds ◽

Healthy Older Adults ◽

Younger Women ◽

Age Related ◽

Postprandial Response ◽

Markers Of Oxidative Stress

Abstract Dicarbonyl stress describes the increased formation of 1,2-dicarbonyl compounds and is associated with age-related pathologies. The role of dicarbonyl stress in healthy aging is poorly understood. In a preliminary study, we analyzed 1,2-dicarbonyl compounds, namely 3-deoxyglucosone (3-DG), glyoxal (GO) and methylglyoxal (MGO) in plasma of older (25 months, n=11) and younger (5 months, n=14) male C57BL/6J (B6) mice via UPLC-MS/MS. Postprandial 3-DG was higher in younger compared to older mice, whereas no differences were found for GO and MGO. Subsequently, in the main study, we analyzed fasting serum of older (OW, 72.4±6.14 years, n=19) and younger women (YW, 27.0±4.42 years, n=19) as well as older (OM, 74.3±5.20 years, n=15) and younger (YM, 27.0±3.34, n=15) men. Serum glucose, insulin, 1,2-dicarbonyl concentrations and markers of oxidative stress were quantified. In a subgroup of this cohort, an oral dextrose challenge was performed and postprandial response of 1,2-dicarbonyl compounds, glucose and insulin were measured. In women, there were no age differences regarding fasting 1,2-dicarbonyl concentrations nor the response after the oral dextrose challenge. In men, fasting MGO was significantly higher in OM compared to YM (Median: 231 vs.158 nM, p=0.006), whereas no age differences in fasting 3-DG and GO concentrations were found. Glucose (310±71.8 versus 70.8±11.9 min·mmol/L) and insulin (7149±1249 versus 2827±493 min·µIU/mL) response were higher in OM compared to YM, which did not translate into a higher 1,2-dicarbonyl response in older individuals. Overall, aging does not necessarily result in dicarbonyl stress, indicating that strategies to cope with 1,2-dicarbonyl formation can remain intact.

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Emotional Functioning and Sense of Hope as Contributors to Healthy Aging

OTJR Occupation Participation and Health ◽

10.1177/1539449220920728 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 40 (4) ◽

pp. 253-260

Author(s):

Amiya Waldman-Levi ◽

Asnat Bar-Haim Erez ◽

Noomi Katz ◽

Jeanine M. Stancanelli

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Healthy Aging ◽

Prediction Models ◽

Emotional Functioning ◽

Later Life ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Physical Factors ◽

Emotional Status ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Individual

Cognitive and physical factors affect participation in later life. It is imperative to explore the contribution of emotional factors on older adults’ participation and wellbeing. Seventy-eight older adults were recruited for this cross-sectional study and grouped based on their level of independence. Emotional functioning, hope, cognition, participation, and wellbeing were measured. Analyses of variance, correlational analysis, and prediction models were employed. Significant differences were found between independent and dependent older adults’ participation and wellbeing, F(2, 72) = 12.71, p < .00, η2 = .26. Independent older adults’ participation was predicted by cognition, β = 0.40, and hope, β = 0.58. Wellbeing was predicted by cognition, β = 0.39, emotional status, β = −0.46, and hope, β = 0.36. Dependent older adults’ wellbeing was predicted by emotional status, β = −0.68, and hope, β = 0.32. Occupational therapists play a key role in promoting healthy aging by incorporating psychosocial factors at the individual, community, and societal levels.

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AGE-BASED STEREOTYPE THREAT: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF PRIMING TECHNIQUES AND THEIR EFFECTS

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.1705 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S455-S456

Author(s):

Francesco Vailati Riboni ◽

Francesco Pagnini

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Older Adults ◽

Stereotype Threat ◽

Functional Performance ◽

Later Life ◽

Experimental Methods ◽

Experimental Manipulation ◽

Older Individuals ◽

Negative Stereotypes ◽

Age Related

Abstract Age-based stereotype threat (ABST) occurs when older adults are influenced by negative stereotypes about age-related decline and functional losses and ironically behave in disengaging and self-defeating ways that confirm the stereotype (Steele & Aronson, 1995). Aging stereotypes are found to be strong predictors of health and illness outcomes in later life, and are associated with performance in specific areas, mainly in cognitive and physical domains. The current study reviewed the experimental methods and their reported effects previously published in the literature to determine if there were different ABST methods were associated with different types of age-related outcomes. We conducted a systematic review, screening the scientific literature for papers that included experimental manipulation of age-related stereotypes as an independent variable, focusing on samples of older adults (1113 articles, most published after 2003). Through a classification of the common and distinctive characteristics of the different stereotype manipulation techniques, we were able to identify three specific types of experimental methods: by instruction, tests, and interpersonal exposure. Although the mechanism by which stereotypes are associated with functional outcomes in older adults remains unclear, our review suggests it is possible to experimentally control the activation of the stereotype by manipulating its specific characteristics and the way older participants are exposed to it. Findings also highlight the possibility that specific experimental methods used to induce ABST in older individuals may lead to unique and different consequences on functional performance variation.

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USING VR FOR NAVIGATION ASSESSMENT IN OLDER ADULTS

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.896 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S240-S240

Author(s):

Scott Moffat

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Age Differences ◽

Large Scale ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Science Research ◽

Later Life ◽

Functional Independence ◽

Spatial Strategies ◽

Age Related ◽

Field Of Inquiry

Abstract There has been a long tradition of wayfinding and orienteering studies in humans but these have mostly neglected possible age-related differences in navigation. This field of inquiry is experiencing something of a resurgence of interest due to the development of VR technology which has brought the systematic study of large scale navigation into the laboratory and into the MRI scanning environment. Empirical studies to date identify navigation as an aspect of cognition that is vulnerable to the aging process. Functional and structural neuroimaging studies in humans suggest that age-related changes in the brain’s “navigation circuit” may underlie these behavioral age differences. Older adults also adopt unique spatial strategies and knowledge of these strategy preferences could enlighten both basic science research in spatial cognition and also inform the development of age-specific technological assistance that may extend functional independence of older adults into later life.

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DOES THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN AGE AND MAJOR ILLNESS VARY BY NATIONAL HEALTHCARE QUALITY?

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.507 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S140-S140

Author(s):

Matthew A Andersson ◽

Lindsay R Wilkinson ◽

Markus H Schafer

Keyword(s):

Healthy Aging ◽

Subjective Evaluation ◽

Healthcare Quality ◽

Attributable Mortality ◽

Future Research ◽

Older Individuals ◽

Social Survey ◽

National Healthcare ◽

Age Related ◽

Major Illness

Abstract Though the risk of chronic disease and disability accelerates once adults are in their 60s, 70s, and 80s, researchers have long suspected that economic, social, and institutional variation — even among high-income Western nations — may powerfully influence the likelihood that people remain healthy at advanced ages. This study builds on comparative research into global aging, by offering a multiple-indicator test of whether national healthcare quality modifies the association between age and major illness. Recent individual-level data on morbidity among respondents aged 50 or older (16 countries; 2014 European Social Survey) are merged with nation-level healthcare indicators. Healthcare quality is assessed using a subjective, evaluation-based approach (based on the 2011 International Social Survey Programme) and an objective, attributable-mortality approach (2010 Healthcare Access and Quality, based on the Global Burden of Disease Study). Lagged nation-level economic and health indicators are controlled to help isolate healthcare effects. Multilevel logistic and linear regression models of any major health condition and morbidity reveal that while older individuals showed approximately a 10% reduction in probability of major illness when residing in countries with higher healthcare quality, associations between age and morbidity indices combining number and severity of illness showed greater modification by healthcare quality, with reductions around 18%. Results across subjective and objective approaches to healthcare quality are strikingly consistent. Taken together, results are suggestive of healthcare’s protective role in reducing age-related illness and disability. Future research should illuminate pathways by which healthcare quality may lead to differences in healthy aging among advanced nations.

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