Novel insights into irritability: the relationship between subjective experience, age and mood

Background The relationship between irritability as a subjective experience and the behavioural indicators typically used to measure the construct are not known. Its links to mood, and contextual relationships, vary with age and are yet to be thoroughly examined. Aims First, to interrogate the relationship between the subjective experience of irritability and mood, and that with its behavioural indicators. Second, to determine how these relationships vary with age and over time. Method This study examined data from a previous clinical trial of adolescents and young adults (N = 82) with bipolar disorder, who received a psychological intervention over 18 months. Participants completed a battery of questionnaires, which included assessments of irritability. Analyses of covariance were conducted to examine the interaction between mood symptoms, subjective measures of irritability, behavioural measures of irritability and age over time. Results Subjective irritability scores differed significantly over time when controlling for manic, but not depressive, symptom scores. Further, subjective irritability significantly differed when controlling for behavioural measures of irritability (temper outbursts and argumentativeness). There were significant interactions between scores of depressive symptoms, temper outbursts and subjective irritability with age, wherein younger participants showed no correlation between depressive symptoms and temper outbursts. In addition, younger participants showed lower correlations between subjective irritability and both depressive and temper outburst scores, than older participants. Conclusions Subjective irritability is linked to mood morbidity and behavioural outbursts, and these relationships are contingent on age. Our novel findings suggest that subjective irritability should be assessed in greater detail in patients with mood disorders.

Download Full-text

The Relationship Between Mentally Unhealthy Days and Depressive Symptoms Among Older Adults Over Time

Journal of Applied Gerontology ◽

10.1177/0733464810361348 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 30 (2) ◽

pp. 241-253 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Kimberly A. Skarupski ◽

Matthew M. Zack ◽

Julia L. Bienias ◽

Paul A. Scherr ◽

Denis A. Evans

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

The Relationship ◽

Over Time

Download Full-text

Religious Attendance, Religious Importance, and the Pathways to Depressive Symptoms in Men and Women Aged 50 and Over Living in Ireland

Research on Aging ◽

10.1177/0164027519860270 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 41 (9) ◽

pp. 891-911 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Joanna Orr ◽

Katy Tobin ◽

Daniel Carey ◽

Rose Anne Kenny ◽

Christine McGarrigle

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Social Connectedness ◽

Structural Models ◽

Religious Attendance ◽

Growth Curve Models ◽

Lower Baseline ◽

Longitudinal Associations ◽

Religious Importance ◽

The Relationship ◽

Over Time

Objectives: We aimed to explore the relationship between religiosity and depressive symptoms longitudinally. Method: We used four waves (2009–2016) of the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) to create growth curve models (GCM) of depressive symptoms and religious attendance/importance in a sample aged 50+ in Ireland and structural models to assess the longitudinal associations between religious attendance/importance and depressive symptoms. We tested whether this relationship was mediated by social connectedness. Results: GCM showed that higher religious attendance at baseline was associated with lower baseline depressive symptoms, while higher religious importance was associated with higher baseline depressive symptoms. Social connectedness partially mediated the baseline associations between religious attendance and lower depressive symptoms. There were no associations between religious factors and the development of depressive symptoms over time. Discussion: This study found that the relationship between religion and depressive symptoms is complex, and any protective effect was driven by religious attendance.

Download Full-text

Need fulfillment, need importance, and depressive symptoms of residents over the first eight months of living in a nursing home

International Psychogeriatrics ◽

10.1017/s1041610214000659 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 26 (7) ◽

pp. 1161-1170 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Annette F.J. Custers ◽

Antonius H.J. Cillessen ◽

Gerben J. Westerhof ◽

Yolande Kuin ◽

J. Marianne Riksen-Walraven

Keyword(s):

Nursing Home ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Self Determination Theory ◽

Self Determination ◽

Need Fulfillment ◽

Final Measurement ◽

Main Effect ◽

Measurement Wave ◽

The Relationship ◽

Over Time

ABSTRACTBackground:Based on self-determination theory and adaptation theories, the study aim was to investigate the relationship between need fulfillment (of autonomy, relatedness, and competence), need importance, and depressive symptoms during the first months of living in a nursing home.Methods:Eight-month longitudinal questionnaire study in which 75 persons newly admitted to units for physically frail residents participated at baseline. Twenty-three longitudinal participants were remaining at the third and final measurement wave.Results:The results show a main effect of need fulfillment and an interaction effect of need fulfillment and need importance on depressive symptoms over time. A prototypical plot shows that residents with low need fulfillment had higher initial levels of depressive symptoms that decreased modestly over time, regardless of their need importance. Residents with high need fulfillment had lower initial levels of depressive symptoms, but their trajectories differed for participants with low and high need importance. Residents with low need importance started with lower levels of depressive symptoms but remained stable over time, whereas residents with high need importance had more depressive symptoms at T1 that decreased slightly over time.Conclusions:In general, depressive symptoms do not change over time. However, individual trajectories of depressive symptoms seem to depend on individual need fulfillment and need importance. The residents that consider need fulfillment to be highly important but experience low need fulfillment had higher initial levels of depressive symptoms that decreased modestly over time, although the level of depressive symptoms remained higher as compared to the other residents.

Download Full-text

Examining the Relationship Between Daily Co-Rumination and Rumination in Response to Negative Events Among Adolescents Using Ecological Momentary Assessment

Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology ◽

10.1521/jscp.2019.38.7.704 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 38 (8) ◽

pp. 704-719

Author(s):

Jaclyn T. Aldrich ◽

Ellie Lisitsa ◽

Sarah K. Chun ◽

Amy H. Mezulis

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Linear Models ◽

Current Theory ◽

Negative Events ◽

Study Support ◽

Negative Feelings ◽

Ecological Momentary ◽

The Relationship ◽

Momentary Assessment ◽

Over Time

Introduction: Rumination and co-rumination are related processes characterized by repetitive focus on negative feelings and problems, with current theory suggesting that co-rumination fosters the use of intrapersonal rumination over time. Additionally, both rumination and co-rumination are related to the occurrence of depressive symptoms during adolescence. Method: The current study utilized an ecological momentary design to examine the temporal relationship between daily co-rumination and rumination in response to negative events within a sample of young adolescents (N = 150). Results: Hierarchical linear models indicated that co-rumination in response to a negative event significantly, positively predicted the use of rumination the following day, whereas use of rumination did not predict engagement in co-rumination the following day. Discussion: Results of the current study support the hypothesis that co-rumination influences the tendency to ruminate individually, which may indirectly result in depressive symptoms over time.

Download Full-text

Patient and caregiver well-being: Observation of changing dyad over time.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2015.33.29_suppl.89 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 33 (29_suppl) ◽

pp. 89-89

Author(s):

Timothy S Sannes ◽

Susan K Mikulich-Gilbertson ◽

Teresa L Simoneau ◽

Mark L Laudenslager

Keyword(s):

Clinical Trial ◽

Short Form ◽

Well Being ◽

Cell Transplant ◽

Dyadic Relationship ◽

Hematopoietic Stem ◽

Clinical Endpoints ◽

Mental Well Being ◽

The Relationship ◽

Over Time

89 Background: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (Allo-HSCT) is a particularly stressful time for patient and caregivers alike. As such, well-being within patient-caregivers dyads is highly correlated in previous studies. It is less clear how this dyadic relationship changes over the course of treatment and recovery. Methods: In these secondary analyses of a randomized clinical trial of psychoeducational support (5 time points across 12 months), partial correlations, adjusting for group assignment and age, tested the relationship between individual mental and physical summary scores of patients and caregivers. 117 Allo-HSCT patient and caregivers provided baseline data, with available data used at each subsequent timepoint. Quality of life was measured with the Short-Form Health Survey; divided into mental (MCS) and physical summary (PCS) scores. Results: Patients were primarily men (69.6% male; Mage=49.36; SD=13.04); caregivers were primarily female (78%;Mage=53.26;SD=12.34). Patient and caregivers’ MCS were significantly correlated at baseline (r=.23;p<.05) and 4 weeks after consenting to study participation, (r=.26;p<.01), whereas patients’ PCS scores were significantly correlated with caregivers’ MCS at 3 months (r=.26;p<.05). At 6 months, the relationship between patient PCS and caregiver MCS was no longer significant (p=.51), whereas the relationship between patient and caregiver MCS re-emerged at 6 months (r=.32; p<.05). In evaluating 6 month completers (N=84), the trend between patient-caregivers well-being displayed the same significant pattern at each timepoint. Conclusions: These data replicate significant relationships of mental well-being within patient-caregiver dyads in Allo-HSCT. This relationship shifts over time, in which caregiver mental well-being becomes related to patients’ physical functioning. These data underscore the importance of this dyadic relationship and deserve follow-up statistical approaches (e.g., covariation). Extending these relationships to clinical endpoints remains an area for future investigation. Funding: NIHCA126971(MLL); T32AG044296(TS): DA034604(SMG) and PCORI CE-1304-6208(MLL). Clinical trial information: NCT00833898.

Download Full-text

Are newly added and lost confidants in later life related to subsequent mental health?

International Psychogeriatrics ◽

10.1017/s1041610217001338 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 29 (12) ◽

pp. 2047-2057 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Ella Schwartz ◽

Howard Litwin

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Mental Health ◽

Social Networks ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Later Life ◽

Emotional Closeness ◽

Contact Frequency ◽

The Relationship ◽

Over Time

ABSTRACTBackground:This study examined internal changes in the personal social networks of older people and the relationship between these changes and mental health over time. It focused on two key aspects: emotional closeness and contact frequency with lost and newly added confidants.Methods:The study was based on data from the fourth (2011) and sixth (2015) waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). The study sample consisted of respondents aged 65 years and older who participated in both waves (n = 14,101). We performed OLS regressions in which the scores on two mental health indicators over time – depressive symptoms (Euro-D) and perceived quality of life (CASP-12) – were regressed on the relationship with lost and newly added confidants, controlling for baseline social networks, socio-demographic, and health variables.Results:The nature of the relationship with the lost and newly added confidants was associated with mental health, beyond the number of these confidants. Emotional closeness with newly added confidants was related to improved mental health in both indicators (B = −0.09, CI = −0.14 to −0.04 for depression; B =1.13, CI = 0.67–1.60 for quality of life). Losing frequently contacted confidants was associated with higher depressive symptoms (B = 0.09, CI = 0.02–0.15).Conclusions:The results show the positive mental health implications of adding emotionally close confidants to older adults’ social milieus, and the negative effects of losing frequently contacted confidants. Practitioners are advised to pay attention to the quality of such changing relationships, due to their mental health consequences.

Download Full-text

Effects of Tinnitus on Cognition and Depressive Symptoms Over Time

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.3480 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 975-975

Author(s):

Jennifer de Anda ◽

Teresa Warren ◽

Tyler Bell ◽

William Kremen ◽

Carol Franz

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Mixed Models ◽

Depression Scale ◽

Epidemiological Studies ◽

Memory Processing ◽

Main Effect ◽

The Relationship ◽

Over Time

Abstract Evidence suggests links among tinnitus, depression, and cognition. We examined these associations over time. We hypothesized baseline tinnitus would predict poorer cognitive performance and more depressive symptoms an average of 11.4 years later. We examined 839 men at two timepoints (baseline age M=55.94; follow-up age M=67.56). At each time point participants responded yes/no if they had tinnitus. We created three tinnitus status groups – no tinnitus at either time, tinnitus at both, and no tinnitus at baseline but tinnitus at follow-up. At both time points we measured cognitive performance with tests of episodic memory, processing speed, executive function, and verbal fluency. Depressive symptoms were based on the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale. There was no association between tinnitus and any measure of cognitive performance. Depressive symptoms declined from baseline to follow-up. In separate mixed models predicting depressive symptoms, there was a significant main effect for tinnitus status at baseline (p = .003) and follow-up (p < .001). Those with tinnitus at both times had significantly higher depressive symptoms than the “No tinnitus” group (p < .001). This association remained significant after accounting for baseline depressive symptoms (p = .011) at follow-up. Results did not support the hypothesis that tinnitus would be associated with poorer cognitive function. However, depressive symptoms declined among those with no tinnitus than the other groups. The relationship between tinnitus and depressive symptoms may have implications for future cognitive performance among older adults, given previous evidence that depressive symptoms are risk factors for cognitive decline.

Download Full-text

The Longitudinal Association Between Social-Media Use and Depressive Symptoms Among Adolescents and Young Adults: An Empirical Reply to Twenge et al. (2018)

Clinical Psychological Science ◽

10.1177/2167702618812727 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (3) ◽

pp. 462-470 ◽

Cited By ~ 37

Author(s):

Taylor Heffer ◽

Marie Good ◽

Owen Daly ◽

Elliott MacDonell ◽

Teena Willoughby

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Media Use ◽

Social Media Use ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Two Samples ◽

Longitudinal Association ◽

The Relationship ◽

Over Time

Research by Twenge, Joiner, Rogers, and Martin has indicated that there may be an association between social-media use and depressive symptoms among adolescents. However, because of the cross-sectional nature of this work, the relationship among these variables over time remains unclear. Thus, in this longitudinal study we examined the associations between social-media use and depressive symptoms over time using two samples: 594 adolescents ( Mage = 12.21) who were surveyed annually for 2 years, and 1,132 undergraduate students ( Mage = 19.06) who were surveyed annually for 6 years. Results indicate that among both samples, social-media use did not predict depressive symptoms over time for males or females. However, greater depressive symptoms predicted more frequent social-media use only among adolescent girls. Thus, while it is often assumed that social-media use may lead to depressive symptoms, our results indicate that this assumption may be unwarranted.

Download Full-text

Covariation of depressive symptoms over time

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291700003718 ◽

1984 ◽

Vol 14 (2) ◽

pp. 451-455 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

George A. Hibbert ◽

John D. Teasdale ◽

Peter Spencer

Keyword(s):

Factor Analysis ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Symptom Change ◽

Total Change ◽

Change Scores ◽

Low Mood ◽

Symptom Scores ◽

Patient Factor ◽

Over Time

SynopsisThe covariation over time of depressive symptoms was studied by repeated ratings of the symptoms of individual depressed in-patients. Both within-patient factor analysis of symptom scores and correlation of symptom change scores to total change scores suggested that, while the symptoms of reduced interest and pleasure covaried closely with ratings of observed and reported low mood, the more ‘biological’ symptoms of sleep and appetite disturbance showed little covariation. The implications for the study of depression are discussed.

Download Full-text