scholarly journals Health Status and Social Networks as Predictors of Resilience in Older Adults Residing in Rural and Remote Environments

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine McKibbin ◽  
Aaron Lee ◽  
Bernard A. Steinman ◽  
Catherine Carrico ◽  
Katelynn Bourassa ◽  
...  

Purpose. Health status and social networks are associated with resilience among older adults. Each of these factors may be important to the ability of adults to remain in rural and remote communities as they age. We examined the association of health status and social networks and resilience among older adults dwelling in a rural and remote county in the Western United States.Methods. We selected a random sample of 198 registered voters aged 65 years or older from a frontier Wyoming county. Hierarchical linear regression was used to examine the association of health status as well as social networks and resilience. We also examined health status as a moderator of the relationship between social networks and resilience.Results. Family networks (p=0.024) and mental health status (p<0.001) significantly predicted resilience. Mental health status moderated the relationship of family (p=0.004) and friend (p=0.021) networks with resilience. Smaller family and friend networks were associated with greater resilience when mental health status was low, but not when it was high.Conclusion. Efforts to increase mental health status may improve resilience among older adults in rural environments, particularly for those with smaller family and friends networks.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joyce Y Chung ◽  
Alison Gibbons ◽  
Lauren Atlas ◽  
Elizabeth Ballard ◽  
Monique Ernst ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: The COVID 19 pandemic led to dramatic threats to health and social life. Study objectives are to develop a prediction model leveraging subsample of known Patient/Controls and evaluate the relationship of predicted mental health status to clinical outcome measures and pandemic-related psychological and behavioral responses during lockdown (spring/summer 2020). Methods: Online cohort study conducted by National Institute of Mental Health Intramural Research Program. Convenience sample of English speaking adults (enrolled 4/4 to 5/16/20; n=1,992). Enrollment measures: demographics, clinical history, functional status, psychiatric and family history, alcohol/drug use. Outcome measures (enrollment and q2 weeks/6 months): distress, loneliness, mental health symptoms, and COVID 19 survey. NIMH IRP Patient/Controls survey responses informed assignment of Patient Probability Scores (PPS) for all participants. Regression models analyzed the relationship between PPS and outcome measures. Outcomes: Mean age 46.0, female (82.4%), white (88.9 %). PPS correlated with distress, loneliness, depression, and mental health factors. PPS associated with negative psychological responses to COVID 19. Worry about mental health (OR 1.46) exceeded worry about physical health (OR 1.13). PPS not associated with adherence to social distancing guidelines but was with stress related to social distancing and worries about infection of self/others. Interpretation: Mental health status (PPS) was associated with concurrent clinical ratings and COVID 19 specific negative responses. A focus on mental health during the pandemic is warranted, especially among those with mental health vulnerabilities. We will include PPS when conducting longitudinal analyses of mental health trajectories and risk and resilience factors that may account for differing clinical outcomes. Funding: NIMH (ZIAMH002922); NCCIH (ZIAAT000030)


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 220-221
Author(s):  
Kosuke Fujita ◽  
Aiko Inoue ◽  
Masafumi Kuzuya ◽  
Chiharu Uno ◽  
Chi Hsien Huang ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 527-534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Liljeroos ◽  
Anna Strömberg ◽  
Kristofer Årestedt ◽  
Misook L Chung

Background: As treatment has improved, patients with heart failure live longer, and the care mostly takes place at home with partners providing the main assistance. Perceived control over heart failure is important in managing self-care activities to maintain health in patients and their family. Depressive symptoms are associated with impaired health status in patients with heart failure and their family. However, there is limited knowledge about how depressive symptoms affect the relationship between health status and perceived control over heart failure in patients with heart failure and their cohabiting partners. Aim: The aim of this study was to examine whether the relationship between perceived control and health status (i.e. mental and physical) was mediated by depressive symptoms in patients with heart failure and their partners. Methods: In this secondary data analysis, we included 132 heart failure patients and 132 partners who completed measures of depressive symptoms (the Beck depression inventory II), perceived control (the control attitude scale), and physical and mental health status (the short form-36) instruments. The mediation effect of depression was examined using a series of multiple regression in patients and their family caregivers separately. Results: We found a mediator effect of depressive symptoms in the relationship between perceived control and mental health status in both patients and partners. The relationship between perceived control and physical health status was mediated by depressive symptoms in the patients, not in the partners. Conclusion: Efforts to improve self-care management and maintenance by targeting perceived control may be more effective if depressive symptoms are also effectively managed.


2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mateusz Cybulski ◽  
Lukasz Cybulski ◽  
Elzbieta Krajewska-Kulak ◽  
Urszula Cwalina

Author(s):  
Noriko Kameyama ◽  
Yukina Morimoto ◽  
Ayako Hashimoto ◽  
Hiroko Inoue ◽  
Ikuko Nagaya ◽  
...  

The relative burden of mental health problems in children is increasing worldwide. Family meals have attracted attention as an effective modifiable factor for preventing children’s mental health problems. We examined the relationship between family meals and mental health problems in Japanese elementary schoolchildren. A cross-sectional, self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted with guardians of children aged 7 to 12 years in Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Frequency of family meals and with whom the child eats breakfast, lunch, and dinner were assessed separately for weekdays and weekends/holidays. Mental health was assessed using the Japanese version of the parent-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Multivariate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for borderline/abnormal mental health status were calculated using logistic regression analysis. Of the 678 children, 24.9% had borderline/abnormal mental health status. Children eating breakfast with their family less than once a week (adjusted OR, 4.79; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.51–15.25) and those eating weekend breakfast alone (adjusted OR, 3.61; 95% CI, 1.42–9.23) had a higher prevalence of borderline/abnormal mental health status compared to those eating breakfast seven times a week and weekend breakfast with their family, respectively. These results suggest that family meals, especially breakfast, might be positively associated with better mental health in children.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Azadeh Lak ◽  
Parichehr Rashidghalam

Abstract Background: Today, the beneficial impact of public open spaces(POS) on the mental and physical health of the elderly is considered worldwide. However, the knowledge about these effects on the mental health of older adults in disadvantaged urban neighborhoods, especially in developing countries, is still insufficient.Methods: This study investigates the relationship between POS use and the mental health status of elderly residents in the disadvantaged neighborhoods of Tehran, the capital of Iran. The data on the frequency of use of public open spaces and the health status include ten items collected from 420 older adults of disadvantaged neighborhoods in District 10 of Tehran. We used exploratory factor analysis to explore the main factors of the elderly mental health in the disadvantaged neighborhood. Finally, the multivariate multiple regression model was used to determine the relationship between the frequency of POS use and mental health status among older seniors.Results: These ten items identified two fundamental characteristics of mental health status, including “feeling worthless” and “social interaction,” using exploratory factor analysis. “Feeling of worthlessness” was negatively significantly associated with the level of gender, marital, occupation, and education, as well as frequently attending in POS. “Social interaction” was influenced by gender, occupation, and marital status, as well as frequent use of POS. The results showed that the frequency of public open space use has a negative correlation with the feeling of worthlessness and a positive correlation with the older residents’ social interactions and contacts.Conclusion: According to the findings, increasing the more senior residents’ access to public open spaces through planning can improve their mental health as well as their social interactions, especially in disadvantaged neighborhoods.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhengyue Jing ◽  
Jie Li ◽  
Pei Pei Fu ◽  
Yi Wang ◽  
Yemin Yuan ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Previous studies have revealed that single physical chronic condition was associated with suicidal ideation/plans, but few studies have examined the relationship between multimorbidity and suicidal ideation/plans, and no studies have explored the underlying potential mechanism on this relationship in China. This study aimed to explore association between physical multimorbidity and suicidal ideation as well as plans, and further examine the mediating role of psychological distress (PD) on this relationship. Methods This study was based on the data from a survey about the health service of rural elderly household in Shandong, China. A total of 3242 adults aged 60 years and older were included in this study. PD was measured by Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10). Ordinal and binary logistic regression analyses were employed to explore the association between physical multimorbidity, PD and suicide ideation/plans. Bootstrapping analysis was further used to examine the mediation effect of PD on the association of multimorbidity and suicidal ideations/plans. Results The prevalence of multimorbidity, lifetime suicidal ideation, and suicidal plan in rural older adults was 35.2, 10.6 and 2.2%, respectively. Older adults living in rural areas with two or more chronic physical conditions experienced significantly higher risk of suicidal ideation and suicidal plans. The association between multimorbidity and suicidal ideations/plans was partially mediated by PD, of which, the mediating effect of PD accounted for 31.7 and 25.5% of the total effect, respectively. Conclusion This study demonstrated the associations between physical multimorbidity and suicidal ideation/plans, and the mediating role of PD on this relationship among Chinese rural elderly. Healthcare providers in rural community should provide regular surveillance for the mental health status among the rural elderly with multimorbidity, and carry out various effective intervention measures to improve the mental health status, so as to reduce the risk of suicide.


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