Chronic Pain and Psychological Distress Among Older Adults: A National Longitudinal Study

2017 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 432-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Bierman ◽  
Yeonjung Lee
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Race And Ethnicity ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Moderate Pain ◽  
Pain Anxiety ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Black Elders ◽  
Hispanic Elders

This research examines whether unobserved time-stable influences confound the association between chronic pain and psychological distress in older adults as well as how race and ethnicity combine with subjective social status (SSS) to modify the association. In a nationally representative longitudinal survey, holistically controlling for unobserved time-stable influences using fixed-effects models substantially reduces the pain–depression relationship and eliminates the overall pain–anxiety relationship. The association with depression is stronger for Black and Hispanic elders, illustrating a process of double-jeopardy. Black elders with severe pain experience lower anxiety, as do Black elders with moderate pain and low SSS, which we suggest may be due to the enervating effects of undermanaged pain. Black elders at high SSS experience greater anxiety with moderate pain. This research suggests that undermanagement of chronic pain among racial and ethnic minorities differentiates the association between pain and distress in late life and especially creates stronger associations with depression.

scholarly journals The Relationship Between Pain and Psychological Distress During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Is Social Technology Use Protective?

Pain Medicine ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yulin Yang ◽  
Hanna Grol-Prokopczyk ◽  
M Carrington Reid ◽  
Karl Pillemer
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Severe Pain ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Pain Severity ◽  
Social Technology ◽  
Moderate Pain ◽  
Social Technologies ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Objectives The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting shelter-in-place orders have profoundly changed the everyday social environment. This study examines the relationship between pain and psychological distress (depression, anxiety, and loneliness) among U.S. adults ages 54 and older during the pandemic. We also test whether use of technology for social purposes moderates the association between pain severity and psychological distress. Methods Using cross-sectional data on 1,014 adults ages 54 and older (pain free, n = 637; mild pain, n = 106; moderate pain, n = 227; and severe pain, n = 64) from the 2020 Health and Retirement Study COVID-19 Project (Early, Version 1.0), we conducted regression analyses to test the association between pain severity and psychological outcomes and to assess social technology use frequency as a moderator. Results Compared with their pain-free peers, participants with mild-to-moderate pain reported more depressive symptoms and greater loneliness; those with severe pain reported higher levels of depression, anxiety, and loneliness. Social technology use was associated with lower levels of depression and loneliness. However, interaction analyses show that social technology use predicted an increase in depression for individuals with pain but a decrease in depression among pain-free individuals. For anxiety and loneliness, no significant effects of social technology use were observed. Conclusion Older adults with pain are at high risk of depression, anxiety, and loneliness during the pandemic. Although social technologies have become a common alternative to face-to-face interactions during the COVID-19 crisis, and overall they can provide mental health benefits, our results suggest that social technologies can be detrimental to psychological well-being among people with pain. These findings can inform technology-based interventions aiming to promote well-being among older adults with pain.

scholarly journals Acute and longer-term psychological distress associated with testing positive for COVID-19: longitudinal evidence from a population-based study of US adults

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Daly ◽  
Eric Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Initial Increase ◽  
Public Health Burden ◽  
Patient Health ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
The Impact

AbstractBackgroundThe novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has produced a considerable public health burden but the impact that contracting the disease has on mental health is unclear. In this observational population-based cohort study, we examined longitudinal changes in psychological distress associated with testing positive for COVID-19.MethodsParticipants (N = 8,002; Observations = 139,035) were drawn from 23 waves of the Understanding America Study, a nationally representative survey of American adults followed-up every two weeks from April 1 2020 to February 15 2021. Psychological distress was assessed using the standardized total score on the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4).ResultsOver the course of the study 576 participants reported testing positive for COVID-19. Using regression analysis including individual and time fixed effects we found that psychological distress increased by 0.29 standard deviations (p <.001) during the two-week period when participants first tested positive for COVID-19. Distress levels remained significantly elevated (d = 0.16, p <.01) for a further two weeks, before returning to baseline levels. Coronavirus symptom severity explained changes in distress attributable to COVID-19, whereby distress was more pronounced among those whose symptoms were more severe and were slower to subside.ConclusionsThis study indicates that testing positive for COVID-19 is associated with an initial increase in psychological distress that diminishes quickly as symptoms subside. While COVID-19 may not produce lasting psychological distress among the majority of the general population it remains possible that a minority may suffer longer-term mental health consequences.

Beyond Incarceration: Criminal Justice Contact and Mental Health

2017 ◽  
Vol 82 (4) ◽  
pp. 719-743 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naomi F. Sugie ◽  
Kristin Turney
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Race And Ethnicity ◽  
Minority Health ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Ethnic Disparities ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Criminal Justice Contact ◽  
Racial Ethnic

A growing literature documents deleterious consequences of incarceration for mental health. Although salient, incarceration is only one form of criminal justice contact and, accordingly, focusing on incarceration may mask the extent to which the criminal justice system influences mental health. Using insights from the stress process paradigm, along with nationally representative data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, we examine criminal justice contact—defined as arrest, conviction, and incarceration—and mental health. First, fixed-effects models, which adjust for stable unobserved and time-varying observed characteristics, show that arrest is deleteriously associated with mental health, and arrest accounts for nearly half of the association between incarceration and poor mental health, although certain types of incarceration appear more consequential than others. Second, the associations are similar across race and ethnicity; this, combined with racial/ethnic disparities in contact, indicates that criminal justice interactions exacerbate minority health inequalities. Third, the associations between criminal justice contact, especially arrest and incarceration, and mental health are particularly large among respondents residing in contextually disadvantaged areas during adolescence. Taken together, the results suggest that the consequences of criminal justice contact for mental health have a far greater reach than previously considered.

scholarly journals Hearing loss and cognitive function among Chinese older adults: The role of participation in leisure activities

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiamin Gao ◽  
Nicole M. Armstrong ◽  
Jennifer A. Deal ◽  
Frank R. Lin ◽  
Ping He
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Leisure Activity ◽  
Cognitive Change ◽  
Chinese Older Adults ◽  
Healthy Longevity ◽  
Nationally Representative

Abstract Background Hearing loss, a highly prevalent sensory impairment affecting older adults, is a risk factor for cognition decline. However, there were very limited studies on this association in low-resource countries. This study aimed to assess the association between self-reported hearing loss and cognitive decline, and whether engagement in leisure activities moderated this association among older adults in China.Methods Data were obtained from two waves of the nationally representative survey of China Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) between 2011/12-2014. 8,844 individuals aged 65 years old or above with a dichotomized measure of self-reported hearing status were included. Modified Mini-Mental Examination (MMSE) was used to measure global cognition. Fixed-effects models were used to estimate whether leisure activity engagement moderated the association of self-perceived hearing loss with global cognitive change in the overall sample and sex subsamples.Results Self-reported hearing loss was associated with cognitive impairment, with an odds ratio of 2.48 [1.22, 5.06]. Sex difference in the association of hearing loss and cognitive impairment was not found. Self-reported hearing loss was associated with cognitive decline, with 8% [-1.22, -0.39] increase in risk compared with those with normal hearing. Frequent engagement in leisure activities moderated the association between hearing loss and cognitive decline for the whole and male samples.Conclusion Hearing loss was associated with cognitive decline, and leisure activities engagement moderated the association among males rather than females.

scholarly journals Hearing loss and cognitive function among Chinese older adults: Therole of participation in leisure activities

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiamin Gao ◽  
Nicole M. Armstrong ◽  
Jennifer A. Deal ◽  
Frank R. Lin ◽  
Ping He
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Leisure Activity ◽  
Cognitive Change ◽  
Chinese Older Adults ◽  
Healthy Longevity ◽  
Nationally Representative

Abstract Background Hearing loss, a highly prevalent sensory impairment affecting older adults, is a risk factor for cognition decline. However, there were very limited studies on this association in low-resource countries. This study aimed to assess the association between self-reported hearing loss and cognitive decline, and whether engagement in leisure activities moderated this association among older adults in China.Methods Data were obtained from two waves of the nationally representative survey of China Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) between 2011/12-2014. 8,844 individuals aged 65 years old or above with a dichotomized measure of self-reported hearing status were included. Modified Mini-Mental Examination (MMSE) was used to measure global cognition. Fixed-effects models were used to estimate whether leisure activity engagement moderated the association of self-perceived hearing loss with global cognitive change in the overall sample and sex subsamples.Results Self-reported hearing loss was associated with cognitive impairment, with an odds ratio of 2.48 [1.22, 5.06]. Sex difference in the association of hearing loss and cognitive impairment was not found. Self-reported hearing loss was associated with cognitive decline, with 8% [-1.22, -0.39] increase in risk compared with those with normal hearing. Frequent engagement in leisure activities moderated the association between hearing loss and cognitive decline for the whole and male samples.Conclusion Hearing loss was associated with cognitive decline, and leisure activities engagement moderated the association among males rather than females.

scholarly journals Applying Intersectionality Framework to Explore the Development of Frailty in Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 1000-1001
Author(s):  
Shamatree Shakya ◽  
Susan Silva ◽  
Michael Cary
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Race And Ethnicity ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Black Females ◽  
Adverse Health Outcomes ◽  
Logistic Regressions ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Clinical Conditions ◽  
Retirement Study

Abstract Background Frailty is a state of compromised homeostasis reserve that makes older adults susceptible to adverse health outcomes. Frailty is highly prevalent among women, racial and ethnic minorities. We aimed to investigate the combined influence of gender, race, and ethnicity on the development of frailty in older adults without frailty at baseline using the intersectionality framework. Methods The data came from the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative US older adults of 65 years and older (2006-2012). Logistic regressions were used to examine the relationships. Results 18.7% of older adults without frailty at baseline developed frailty after a 4-year follow-up. Females were likely to develop frailty than males (aOR 1.66, 95% CI 1.32-2.09, p &lt; 0.0001). In comparison to Non- Hispanic Whites, Non-Hispanic Blacks (aOR 2.66, 95% CI 1.89, 3.74, p &lt; &lt;.0001) and Hispanics or others (aOR 1.73, 95% 1.16, 2.58, p &lt; .0068) had the greater likelihood of developing frailty, after adjusting for age and clinical morbidities, such as lung disease and cardiometabolic diseases. The intersectionality approach showed that both Non-Hispanic Black females (aOR 1.82, 95% CI 1.12-2.99, p = 0.0185) and males (aOR 3.30, 95% CI 1.85-5.91, p &lt; .0001) had the highest likelihood of developing frailty than Non-Hispanic Whites at 4-year post-baseline, adjusting for age and chronic clinical conditions. Conclusion Our findings highlight the importance of taking the intersectionality approach to examining the frailty risk in later life, which will help in providing precision-based care.

Spontaneous self-affirmation before and during COVID-19: Associations with information-seeking, worry and adherence

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tracy Epton ◽  
Chris Keyworth ◽  
Chris Armitage
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Opposite Direction ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Demographic Characteristics ◽  
Brief Interventions ◽  
Adaptive Behaviors ◽  
Uk Government ◽  
Nationally Representative

Objective: To assess the extent of spontaneous self-affirmation pre COVID-19 and during COVID-19 pandemic to identify for whom self-affirmation interventions might be helpful; and the extent to which spontaneous self-affirmation is associated with increased information-seeking, worry and adherence to UK government instructions. Methods: Two large nationally-representative surveys of UK adults were conducted via YouGov in March 2019 (pre COVID-19; N = 10421) and April 2020 (during COVID-19; N = 2252); both surveys measured demographic characteristics and spontaneous self-affirmation. The latter survey included measures of time spent accessing COVID-19 related news, worry about COVID-19 related news and degree of adherence to UK government instructions. Results: Spontaneous self-affirmation was lower before COVID-19 (44%) than it was during the pandemic (57%), although the pattern was in the opposite direction among older adults. Older adults were more likely to spontaneously self-affirm during COVID-19 than pre COVID-19. Greater spontaneous self-affirmation was associated with more time spent accessing news, and greater adherence to UK government instructions, but not media-related worry. Conclusions: The threat of COVID-19 may have triggered greater levels of spontaneous self-affirmation, which could give people the resources they needed to allow them to seek COVID-19-related news and adhere to UK government instructions. Groups lower in spontaneous self-affirmation, such as younger people could be targeted with brief interventions to promote self-affirmation and encourage performance of adaptive behaviors.

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