The Experiences and Determinants of Sleep Problems of Immigrant and Canadian-Born Older Adults—Analysis of Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging Baseline Data

2021 ◽  
pp. 084456212110094
Author(s):  
Souraya Sidani ◽  
Sepali Guruge ◽  
Kandasamy Illanko

Background Although prevalent, limited knowledge is available on the experience of sleep problems (i.e., disturbance in sleep latency and in sleep maintenance) and their determinants in immigrant older adults. Purpose To compare immigrant and Canadian-born older adults’ experiences of: 1) sleep problems, 2) determinants of sleep problems, categorized into precipitating and perpetuating factors, and 3) determinants most significantly contributing to each sleep problem. Methods Baseline data obtained by the comprehensive cohort of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging were analyzed. Participants 55+ years of age and with complete data on their country of birth comprised the sample, with 18,245 Canadian-born and 4,257 immigrant older adults. Single or multiple items were used to assess the precipitating (chronic condition, sleep disorders, pain, depressive symptoms, psychological distress, education, marital and socio-economic status) and perpetuating (smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity) factors. Chi-square test and independent sample t-test were used in the comparison and multiple regression was applied to determine the most significant determinant of each sleep problem in each group of older adults. Results Despite differences in a few determinants of sleep problems, the set of factors contributing to disturbance in sleep latency and maintenance was comparable for Canadian-born and immigrant older adults, and included: having a sleep disorder and high level of depressive symptoms and psychological distress. Conclusion The findings highlight the importance of public health campaigns to increase older adults’ awareness of sleep problems, the factors that may contribute to disturbance in sleep, and strategies to prevent and/or manage sleep problems.

2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (8) ◽  
pp. 1226-1234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanhong Gong ◽  
Xiaopiao Wen ◽  
Chaoping Guan ◽  
Zhiqing Wang ◽  
Yuan Liang

ABSTRACTBackground: The aim of the current study was to investigate the associations between family characteristics and depressive symptoms, and provide new evidence and recommendations for prevention and intervention in the depressive symptoms of older adults.Methods: The study was a cross-sectional survey conducted door-to-door, utilizing a sample of 1,317 individuals aged 60 years and above in rural China. The five family characteristic variables recorded were: living with spouse, living with descendant, support of family members, self-reported family economic status in the previous year, and family-related negative life events that occurred anytime in the past with a continuous psychological effect during the past 12 months. Gender, age, years of schooling, and self-rated physical health status were taken as potential confounders. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine independent effects on depressive symptoms.Results: In addition to the potential confounders, only family-related negative life events, support of family members, and self-reported family economic status had significant effects on depressive symptoms in older adults. Experiencing a family-related negative life event was the most significant variable (OR = 11.70, 95% CI: 7.72–17.73), the second was support of family members (OR = 6.93, 95% CI: 3.26–14.70), while family economic status was less important than support of family members (OR = 2.38, 95% CI: 1.08–5.25).Conclusion: This study, from the perspective of family characteristics on depressive symptoms in older adults, showed a strong correlation between being exposed to harmful family environments and depressive symptoms among the elderly. Efforts to address family risk factors and strengthen family cohesiveness deserve a higher priority, given the importance of these factors, compared with other efforts such as promoting economic development.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S678-S678
Author(s):  
Melanie Stearns ◽  
Danielle K Nadorff

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.


2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 1031-1051 ◽  
Author(s):  
FAN YANG ◽  
VIVIAN W. Q. LOU

ABSTRACTThe trajectory of modern China, namely from dire poverty and communist fever to economic boom and marketisation under an authoritarian regime, makes the country a unique social laboratory for examining how social environment affects human development of individuals. This study investigated the correlation between childhood adversity and depressive symptoms of Chinese middle-aged and older adults, as well as how urbanisation moderates the correlation. A sub-sample (N = 14,681) of the baseline of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study was analysed. Seven variables were used in the latent class analysis to establish a childhood adversity typology. Three urbanisation statuses were identified according to theHukou(household registration system) status and neighbourhood type: non-urbanised, semi-urbanised and fully urbanised. The correlation between childhood adversity and depressive symptoms and the moderation of urbanization on the correlation were assessed with factorial analysis of covariance. Three latent classes for childhood adversities were identified: ‘normal childhood class', ‘low childhood socio-economic status and health class' and ‘traumatic childhood class'. The class membership was significantly correlated with depressive symptoms (p = 0.015), and the urbanisation status, also significantly affecting depressive symptoms (p = 0.05), had significant moderating effect on the correlation (p = 0.002). It is suggested that more social inclusive policies need to be adopted in order to guarantee the equal distribution of wellbeing led by urbanisation.


2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (8) ◽  
pp. 1153-1176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Barnett ◽  
Casper J. P. Zhang ◽  
Janice M. Johnston ◽  
Ester Cerin

ABSTRACTBackground:While depression is a growing public health issue, the percentage of individuals with depression receiving treatment is low. Physical and social attributes of the neighborhood may influence the level of depressive symptoms and the prevalence of depression in older adults.Methods:This review systematically examined the literature on neighborhood environmental correlates of depression in older adults. Findings were analyzed according to three depression outcomes: depressive symptoms, possible depression, and clinical depression. Based on their description in the article, environmental variables were assigned to one of 25 categories. The strength of evidence was statistically quantified using a meta-analytical approach with articles weighted for sample size and study quality. Findings were summarized by the number of positive, negative, and statistically non-significant associations by each combination of environmental attribute – depression outcome and by combining all depression outcomes.Results:Seventy-three articles met the selection criteria. For all depression outcomes combined, 12 of the 25 environmental attribute categories were considered to be sufficiently studied. Three of these, neighborhood socio-economic status, collective efficacy, and personal/crime-related safety were negatively associated with all depression outcomes combined. Moderating effects on associations were sparsely investigated, with 52 articles not examining any. Attributes of the physical neighborhood environment have been understudied.Conclusion:This review provides support for the potential influence of some neighborhood attributes on population levels of depression. However, further research is needed to adequately examine physical attributes associated with depression and moderators of both social and physical neighborhood environment attribute – depression outcome associations.


2022 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kuan-Chin Wang ◽  
Yuan-Ting C. Lo ◽  
Chun-Cheng Liao ◽  
Yann-Yuh Jou ◽  
Han-Bin Huang

Background: Little epidemiological research has investigated the associations of air pollutant exposure over various time windows with older adults' symptoms of depression. This study aimed to analyze the relationships of long- and short-term ambient air pollution exposure (to coarse particulate matter, O3, SO2, CO, and NOx) with depressive symptoms in a sample of community-dwelling older adults.Methods: A sample of older adults (n = 1,956) was recruited from a nationally representative multiple-wave study (Taiwan Longitudinal Study on Aging). Between 1996 and 2007, four waves of surveys investigated depressive symptoms by using the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression questionnaire. We approximated air pollutant concentrations from 1995 to 2007 by using daily concentration data for five air pollutants at air quality monitoring stations in the administrative zone of participants' residences. after adjusting for covariates, we applied generalized linear mixed models to analyze associations for different exposure windows (7-, 14-, 21-, 30-, 60-, 90-, and 180-day and 1-year moving averages).Results: In a one-pollutant model, long- and short-term exposure to CO and NOx was associated with heightened risks of depressive symptoms; the odds ratio and corresponding 95% confidence interval for each interquartile range (IQR) increment in CO at 7-, 14-, 21-, 30-, 60-, 90-, and 180-day and 1-year moving averages were 1.232 (1.116, 1.361), 1.237 (1.136, 1.348), 1.216 (1.128, 1.311), 1.231 (1.133, 1.338), 1.224 (1.124, 1.332), 1.192 (1.106, 1.285), 1.228 (1.122, 1.344), and 1.180 (1.102, 1.265), respectively. Those for each IQR increment in NOx were 1.312 (1.158, 1.488), 1.274 (1.162, 1.398), 1.295 (1.178, 1.432), 1.310 (1.186, 1.447), 1.345 (1.209, 1.496), 1.348 (1.210, 1.501), 1.324 (1.192, 1.471), and 1.219 (1.130, 1.314), respectively. The exposure to PM10, O3, and SO2 over various windows were not significant. In the two-pollutant model, only the associations of NOx exposure with depressive symptoms remained robust after adjustment for any other pollutant.Conclusions: Exposure to traffic-associated air pollutants could increase depression risks among older adults.


2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (10) ◽  
pp. 2082-2096 ◽  
Author(s):  
MIAO-YU LIAO ◽  
CHIH-JUNG YEH ◽  
SHU-HSIN LEE ◽  
CHUN-CHENG LIAO ◽  
MENG-CHIH LEE

ABSTRACTThis longitudinal study evaluated the direct effects of providing/receiving family support on mortality in older adults with different living arrangements in Taiwan. All data analysed were obtained from the Taiwan Longitudinal Study on Aging, 1996–2007, of residents aged ⩾67 years (1,492 men and 1,177 women) and Taiwan's National Death Register. Living arrangements were divided into living alone, living only with spouse, living with family and living with others. Support was mainly defined as family support divided into two categories: providing and receiving. The effect of providing/receiving family support on the mortality of older adults was evaluated using Cox regression analysed by living arrangement. Participants living with their families had lower educational levels (illiterate or elementary school) and more disability in both activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living. However, they provided more family support than those in other living arrangements. After adjusting for several potentially confounding variables, including background characteristics, economic status and various health status measures, results showed that older adults living with their families and providing support had an 11 per cent lower mortality rate (Hazard ratio = 0.89; 95 per cent confidence interval = 0.83–0.96; p = 0.0018). In conclusion, we found that, when living with family, the lives of older adults can be extended by providing support, clearly supporting the old adage ‘it is more blessing to give than to receive’. Older adults wanting to extend their lives can be encouraged to provide more help to their families.


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