Do Personality Traits Influence the Association Between Depression and Dementia in Old Age?

Depression and personality traits are independent predictors of dementia or cognitive impairment. Despite the well-established relationship between these two psychosocial factors and dementia, no research has been documented on how personality traits can influence dementia in older adults exhibiting depressive symptoms. This study explores the influence of personality traits on the association between change in depression and dementia in old age. A population-based longitudinal cohort study involving two waves of data collected 5 years apart, containing 2210 American older adults, from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project to explore if personality traits influence how change in depression predicts the development of dementia. We assessed these relationships while adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics. Change in depression increased the likelihood of dementia at T2 by 4.2% (AOR = 1.04, p = 0.019) in the co-variate adjusted model. Personality traits, overall, did not influence how depression predicts the development of dementia. However, agreeableness individually nullified the effect of depression on the development of dementia, whereas extraversion was the only personality trait that significantly predicted dementia. Prosocial behaviors should be promoted in old age as these appear to be protective. In addition, early life education and a strong social support can keep the depression–dementia spectrum at bay in old age.

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The Association of Sensory Impairment With Incident Disability-Related Cessation of Employment in Older Adults

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.697 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 216-216

Author(s):

Ahmed Shakarchi ◽

Emmanuel Garcia Morales ◽

Nicholas Reed ◽

Bonnielin Swenor

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Hearing Aids ◽

Population Based ◽

Sensory Impairment ◽

Loss To Follow Up ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Cox Proportional Hazard Regression ◽

Study Participants ◽

Adjusted Model

Abstract Sensory impairment (SI) is common among older adults, and it is an increasingly important public health challenge as the population ages. We evaluated the association between SI and incident disability-related cessation of employment in older adults using the population-based Health and Retirement Study. Participants employed in 2006 completed biennial interviews until self-reported incident disability-related cessation of employment. Participants were censored at loss to follow-up, retirement, or 2018. Participants rated their vision and hearing, using eyeglasses or hearing aids if applicable, on a Likert scale (poor, fair, good, very good, excellent). SI was defined as poor or fair ability, and SI was categorized as neither SI (NSI), vision impairment alone (VI), hearing impairment alone (HI), and dual SI (DSI). Cox proportional hazard regression assessed the association between SI and incident disability-related cessation of employment, adjusting for demographic and health covariates. Overall, 4726 participants were included: 421 (8.9%) were with VI, 487 (10.3) with HI, and 203 (4.3%) with DSI. Mean age was 61.0 ± 6.8 years, 2488 (52.6%) were women, and 918 (19.4) were non-White. In the fully adjusted model, incident disability-related cessation of employment over the 12-year follow-up period was higher in VI (Hazard Ratio (HR)=1.30, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.92, 1.85), HI (HR=1.60, CI=1.16, 2.22), and DSI (HR=2.02, CI=1.38, 2.96). These findings indicate that employed older adults with SI are at increased risk of incident disability-related cessation of employment, and that older adults with DSI are particularly vulnerable. Addressing SI in older adults may lengthen their contribution to the workforce.

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Childhood infectious diseases and old age cognitive functioning: a nationally representative sample of community-dwelling older adults

International Psychogeriatrics ◽

10.1017/s1041610220001404 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

A. Rotstein ◽

S. Z. Levine

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Older Adults ◽

Infectious Diseases ◽

Cognitive Functioning ◽

Old Age ◽

Early Life ◽

Representative Sample ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Sensitivity Analyses ◽

Nationally Representative

ABSTRACT Background: Cumulative evidence suggests that health-related risk factors during midlife and old-age are associated with cognitive impairment. However, studies are needed to clarify the association between early-life risk factors and impaired cognitive functioning to increment existing knowledge. Objective: To examine the association between childhood infectious diseases and late-life cognitive functioning in a nationally representative sample of older adults. Participants: Eligible respondents were 2994 community-dwelling individuals aged 65–85. Measurements: Cognitive functioning was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Childhood infectious diseases (i.e. chicken pox, measles, and mumps) were self-reported. The study covariates were age, sex, highest educational level achieved, smoking status, body mass index, and depression. The primary statistical analysis examined the association between the number of childhood infectious diseases and total MMSE scores, accounting for all study covariates. Regression models of progressive complexity were examined for parsimony. The robustness of the primary results was tested in 17 sensitivity analyses. Results: The most parsimonious model was a linear adjusted model (Bayesian Information Criterion = 12646.09). Late-life cognitive functioning significantly improved as the number of childhood infectious diseases increased (β = 0.18; 95% CI = 0.11, 0.26; p < 0.001). This effect was not significantly attenuated in all sensitivity analyses. Conclusion: The current study results are consistent with prior ecological findings indicating that some childhood infectious diseases are associated with better cognitive functioning in old-age. This points to an early-life modifiable risk factor associated with older-life cognitive functioning. Our results may reflect selective mortality and/or beneficial effects via hormetic processes.

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UNIMAGINED FUTURES: THE PARADOX OF FAMILISM AND ELDERCARE AMONG AGING LATINOS IN THE CHICAGOLAND AREA

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.2624 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S715-S715

Author(s):

Melissa Howe ◽

Alexis Howard ◽

Wendy Hsieh ◽

Lissette M Piedra

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Cultural Values ◽

Old Age ◽

Social Life ◽

Successful Aging ◽

Older Adulthood ◽

Nativity Status ◽

North Americans ◽

Physical Independence ◽

Latino Older Adults

Abstract Scholars of gerontology highlight the ways aging varies cross-culturally. Whereas North Americans tend to describe “successful aging” as the maintenance of social and physical independence, Latin Americans tend to view aging as a natural process of social transition. In this study, we conducted a content analysis of nine focus groups (N =101) and 20 interviews with Latino older adults in the Chicagoland area to examine how they characterize successful aging and view the health declines that accompany aging. We found that Latino older adults often used rhetoric associated with “successful aging,” which tended to emphasize the maintenance of independence and physical functioning. Even immigrant respondents employed this language, suggesting that descriptions of “good old age,” may be more culturally transferable than previously thought. At the same time, the cultural values of respeto and familismo also emerged. Regardless of the participant’s nativity status, centrality of family and the importance of respect represented constant sources of support. Still, adherence to these values came with considerable drawbacks for those intensely focused on self-sacrifice for the sake of their families. Taken together, “successful old age” was defined by the participants as one in which a person maintains physical independence in the context of an interdependent, kin-focused, social life. This paradoxical combination of valuing independence and familial interdependence produced a number of benefits and challenges for Latino adults as they transitioned into to older adulthood.

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The Elders: A New Generation

Ageing and Society ◽

10.1017/s0144686x00005985 ◽

1986 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

pp. 313-331 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Sidney Jones

Keyword(s):

Older People ◽

Old Age ◽

Social Life ◽

Personal Experience ◽

Economic Status ◽

Later Life ◽

Voluntary Activity ◽

Scientific Images ◽

Life Education ◽

New Generation

ABSTRACTDrawing upon evidence from Britain, this paper advances the proposition that new generations of older people are experiencing a healthier, materially better off and more satisfying old age. It is argued that both popular and scientific images of later life are out-dated and unduly negative. In advancing this analysis, attention is given to key areas of personal experience and social life: education, leisure and holidays, retirement, voluntary activity, spirituality, economic status, health and political involvement. A re-construction of the societal position of older people is indicated.

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Does education help “old dogs” learn “new tricks”? The lasting impact of early-life education on technology use among older adults

Research Policy ◽

10.1016/j.respol.2018.03.017 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 47 (6) ◽

pp. 1125-1132 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Fabrice Kämpfen ◽

Jürgen Maurer

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Technology Use ◽

Early Life ◽

Life Education

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Association of Early-Life Family and Nieghborhood Circumstances With Depressive Symptoms in Chinese Older Adults

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.1707 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 441-442

Author(s):

Yan Chen ◽

Jie Tan

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Older Adults ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Old Age ◽

Early Life ◽

Strong Association ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Bivariate Analysis ◽

Life Circumstances ◽

Community Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract A growing body of literature suggests that early life circumstances can influence mental health throughout the lifespan. However, how these early life circumstances cumulatively contribute to depression in old age is not completely understood. The present study examined the associations of eight factors representing multifaceted early life experience at individual, family, and community levels with depression among community-dwelling older adults. Data were from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. We included 8,239 community-dwelling individuals who were ≥60 years, completed the life history questionnaire, and had assessment of depression. Chi-square test was used to examine the unadjusted associations between each of the eight early life risk factors and depression. An early life disadvantage index was established using risk factors that were significantly associated with depression. Logistic regression was used to examine the association of each early life risk factor and the index with depression. Of 8,239 individuals included, 2,055 (24.9%) had depression. In bivariate analysis, each of eight early life risk factors was significantly associated with depression. Except for maternal and paternal education, all risk factors persisted to be associated with depression after multivariable adjustment. In the multivariable-adjusted model, a one-point higher in the early life disadvantage index (range: 0-6) was associated with a 45% (95% CI: 37%, 53%) higher odds of depression. There was a strong association between early life environments and depressive symptoms among Chinese community-dwelling older adults. Adverse early life circumstances could contribute cumulatively to depression in old age.

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Early Life Environments and Frailty in Old Age among Chinese Older Adults

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.3488191 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Yaxi Li ◽

Qian-Li Xue ◽

Michelle Odden ◽

Xi Chen ◽

Chenkai WU

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Old Age ◽

Early Life ◽

Chinese Older Adults

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Linking early life risk factors to frailty in old age: evidence from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study

Age and Ageing ◽

10.1093/ageing/afz160 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 49 (2) ◽

pp. 208-217 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Yaxi Li ◽

Qian-Li Xue ◽

Michelle C Odden ◽

Xi Chen ◽

Chenkai Wu

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Older Adults ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Health Status ◽

Old Age ◽

Early Life ◽

Late Life ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Childhood And Adolescence ◽

Childhood Health

Abstract Background exposures in childhood and adolescence may impact the development of diseases and symptoms in late life. However, evidence from low- and middle-income countries is scarce. In this cross-sectional study, we examined the association of early life risk factors with frailty amongst older adults using a large, nationally representative cohort of community-dwelling Chinese sample. Methods we included 6,806 participants aged $\ge$60 years from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. We measured 13 risk factors in childhood or adolescence through self-reports, encompassing six dimensions (education, family economic status, nutritional status, domestic violence, neighbourhood and health). We used multinomial regression models to examine the association between risk factors and frailty. We further calculated the absolute risk difference for the statistically significant factors. Results persons with higher personal and paternal education attainment, better childhood neighbourhood quality and better childhood health status had lower risk of being frail in old age. Severe starvation in childhood was associated with higher risk of prefrailty. The risk differences of being frail were 5.6% lower for persons with a high school or above education, 1.5% lower for those whose fathers were literate, 4.8% lower for the highest neighbourhood quality and 2.9% higher for worse childhood health status compared to their counterparts. Conclusions unfavorable socioeconomic status and worse health condition in childhood and adolescence may increase the risk of late-life frailty amongst Chinese older adults.

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Association between Participation Activities, Pain Severity, and Psychological Distress in Old Age: A Population-Based Study of Swedish Older Adults

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18062795 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (6) ◽

pp. 2795

Author(s):

Elena Dragioti ◽

Björn Gerdle ◽

Lars-Åke Levin ◽

Lars Bernfort ◽

Huan-Ji Dong

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Old Age ◽

Weight Status ◽

Leisure Activities ◽

Sociodemographic Factors ◽

Population Based ◽

Pain Severity ◽

Linear Regression Models ◽

Modifiable Factors

Although chronic pain is common in old age, previous studies on participation activities in old age seldom consider pain aspects and its related consequences. This study analyses associations between participation activities, pain severity, and psychological distress in an aging population of Swedish older adults (N = 6611). We examined older adults’ participation in five common leisure activities using the Multidimensional Pain Inventory (MPI), sociodemographic factors, pain severity, weight status, comorbidities, and pain-related psychological distress (anxiety, depression, insomnia severity, and pain catastrophising). We found that gender, body mass index (BMI) levels, and psychological distress factors significantly affected older adults’ participation in leisure activities. Pain severity and multimorbidity were not significantly associated with older adults’ participation in leisure activities nor with gender stratification in generalised linear regression models. The potentially modifiable factors, such as high levels of BMI and psychological distress, affected activity participation in men and women differently. Health professionals and social workers should consider gender and target potentially modifiable factors such as weight status and psychological distress to increase older adults’ participation in leisure activities.

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