Stress and Diabetes Mellitus in Later Life

1995 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neal Krause
Keyword(s):  
Diabetes Mellitus ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Life Events ◽  
Stressful Life Events ◽  
Stress Measurement ◽  
Nationwide Survey ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Coping Resources ◽  
Recent Developments

Research indicates that there may be a link between stressful life events and the onset of diabetes mellitus. However, the wide majority of these studies have involved either children or adolescents. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between stress and diabetes with data provided by a recent nationwide survey of older adults. An effort is made to improve on previous work by coupling recent developments in stress measurement with the study of key coping resources (i.e., social support). Two main findings emerged from the analyses. First, stressors arising in social roles that are highly important to older adults are more strongly related to diabetes than events associated with roles that are less important. Second, social support buffers the deleterious effects of stressors in salient roles, but not life events emerging in roles that are valued less highly.

The Impact of Stressful Life Events and Social Support on Drinking among Older Adults: A General Population Survey

1992 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen M. Jennison
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Life Events ◽  
Stressful Life Events ◽  
Prolonged Exposure ◽  
Drinking Behavior ◽  
National Sample ◽  
Stressful Life ◽  
Stress Buffering ◽  
The Impact

This article is an analysis of stressful life events, the buffering hypothesis, and alcohol use in a national sample of 1,418 respondents 60 years of age and over. The results indicate that older adults who experience stressful losses are significantly more likely to drink excessively than those who have not experienced such losses or who have experienced them to a lesser extent. Increased drinking among older adults may therefore be a reaction to life circumstances in which alcohol represents an attempt to cope with traumatic loss, personal as well as within the kinship network. Supportive resources of spouse, family, friends, and church appear to have a stress-buffering effects that reduces the excessive-drinking response to life crisis. Data suggest, however, that older persons are vulnerable to the magnitude of losses experienced as they grow older and lose more of their family, friends, and peers. These stressors appear to seriously impact their drinking behavior and are not effectively buffered. Respondents report that drinking may increase during periods of prolonged exposure to emotionally depleting life change and loss, when supportive needs may exceed the capacities of personal and social support resources.

4. Social and interpersonal aspects of ageing

2016 ◽  
pp. 66-86
Author(s):  
Nancy A. Pachana
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Life Events ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Role Changes ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
Societal Context ◽  
Over Time

How we interact with others, with the physical and social environment, as well as how well we cope with life events, role changes, and positive and negative stresses all affect how we age. Later life is also intimately connected to, and affected by, circumstances and decisions earlier in life. Social support and engagement are critical for physical and emotional well-being. ‘Social and interpersonal aspects of ageing’ explores ageing in a social and societal context. The ways in which older adults engage with younger cohorts and their contribution to their family, communities, and society more broadly have changed over time and have also been affected by social and technological advances.

Contribution of stressful life events to gambling activity in older age

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
Roser Granero ◽  
Susana Jiménez-Murcia ◽  
Fernando Fernández-Aranda ◽  
Amparo del Pino-Gutiérrez ◽  
Teresa Mena-Moreno ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Life Events ◽  
Stressful Life Events ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Older Age ◽  
Stressful Life ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Violent Behaviour ◽  
Clinical Criteria

Abstract Older subjects are susceptible to develop gambling problems, and researchers have attempted to assess the mechanisms underlying the gambling profile in later life. The objective of this study was to identify the main stressful life events (SLE) across the lifespan which have discriminative capacity for detecting the presence of gambling disorder (GD) in older adults. Data from two independent samples of individuals aged 50+ were analysed: N = 47 patients seeking treatment at a Pathological Gambling Outpatient Unit and N = 361 participants recruited from the general population. Sexual problems (p < 0.001), exposure to domestic violent behaviour (p < 0.001), severe financial problems (p = 0.002), alcohol or drug-related problems (p = 0.004) and extramarital sex (p < 0.001) were related to a higher risk of GD, while getting married (p = 0.005), moving to a new home (p = 0.003) and moving to a new city (p = 0.006) decreased the likelihood of disordered gambling. The accumulated number of SLE was not a predictor of the presence of GD (p = 0.732), but patients who met clinical criteria for GD reported higher concurrence of SLE in time than control individuals (p < 0.001). Empirical research highlights the need to include older age groups in evidence-based policies for gambling prevention, because these individuals are at high risk of onset and/or progression of behavioural addiction-related problems such as GD. The results of this study may be useful for developing reliable screening/diagnostic tools and for planning effective early intervention programmes aimed to reduce the harm related to the onset and evolution of problem gambling in older adults.

Depression following a Spinal Cord Injury

1996 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 329-349 ◽  
Author(s):  
John R. Boekamp ◽  
James C. Overholser ◽  
Daniel S. P. Schubert
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Spinal Cord Injury ◽  
Life Events ◽  
Stressful Life Events ◽  
Coping Resources ◽  
Stressful Life ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Cord Injury ◽  
The Family

Object: Depression is a common problem following a spinal cord injury (SCI) and can greatly interfere with the rehabilitation process because of reduced energy, negative expectations, and social withdrawal. Understanding various factors which influence a vulnerability to depression may improve the diagnosis and treatment of depressive disorders and can improve rehabilitation outcome. Method: A thorough literature search was conducted using Medline, PsychLit, PyschInfo, and Social Science Citation Index to identify relevant articles published between 1967 and 1995. Results: A diathesis-stress model is proposed to explain the increased risk of depressive symptoms after a SCI. Biological changes associated with SCI and pre-existing cognitive biases may influence the individual's vulnerability to stressful life events following the injury. The nature and frequency of stressful life events following the injury can tax the individual's coping resources. Furthermore, the perceived quality of social support and the severity of conflict within the family can influence the individual's adaptation. Conclusions: Social support and recent stressors should be assessed to identify patients at high risk for depression. Patients are less likely to become depressed if their independence is fostered and they are encouraged to develop new sources of self-esteem. Relatives can be counseled to help maintain supportive relationships within the family.

scholarly journals Gaps in social support resources in later life: An adaptational challenge in need of further research

2009 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen S. Rook
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Support Needs ◽  
Adaptive Responses ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
Support Resources ◽  
Further Development ◽  
Social Support Resources

Gaps in social support resources in later life may arise when older adults lose social network members due to illness, death, or residential relocation. Gaps also may arise when social networks remain intact but are not well suited to meet older adults' intensifying support needs, such as needs for extended or highly personal instrumental support. Significant gaps in support resources are likely to require adaptive responses by older adults. This discussion highlights theoretical perspectives and illustrates empirical findings regarding the nature and effectiveness of older adults' responses to gaps in their social support resources. The literature examining these issues is relatively small and, as a result, is ripe for further development. Promising directions for future research are suggested.

scholarly journals Negative Life Events, Social Ties, and Depressive Symptoms for Older Adults in China

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 580-580
Author(s):  
Hangqing Ruan ◽  
Feinian Chen
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Life Events ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Stressful Life Events ◽  
Social Ties ◽  
Negative Life Events ◽  
Old Age Support ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
Different Types

Abstract Negative life events are considered important risk factors of depression among older adults. An overwhelming amount of literature suggests that individuals with the most supportive social relations tend to make a better recovery from stressful life events. As for which types of ties matter the most, whether being family, relatives, friends or the broader community, existing literature is much less consistent and has documented varying effects across different contexts. This study is set in China, which traditionally relies on family systems and filial obligations for old-age support. Using two waves of data from China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey, we examine the protective effect of different types of social relations on depressive symptoms, including those who are living in the household, children who live close by or far away, as well as their ties with family, relatives, and friends.

scholarly journals Being left-behind, mental disorder, and elderly suicide in rural China: a case–control psychological autopsy study

2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 458-464 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liang Zhou ◽  
Guojun Wang ◽  
Cunxian Jia ◽  
Zhenyu Ma
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Mental Disorder ◽  
Life Events ◽  
Stressful Life Events ◽  
Case Control ◽  
Psychological Autopsy ◽  
Autopsy Study ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Elderly Suicide

AbstractBackgroundSuicide rate among rural elderly is the highest among all age groups in China, yet little is known about the suicide risks in this rapidly growing vulnerable population.MethodsThis matched case–control psychological autopsy study was conducted during June 2014 to September 2015. Consecutive samples of suicides aged 60 or above were identified in three provinces (Shandong, Hunan, and Guangxi) in China. Living comparisons were 1:1 matched with the suicides in age (±3 years old), gender, and living location. Risk factors included demographic characteristics, being left-behind, mental disorder, depressive symptoms, stressful life events, and social support.ResultsA total of 242 suicides and 242 comparisons were enrolled: 135 (55.8%) were male, mean (s.d.) age was 74 (8) years. The most frequently used suicide means were pesticides (125, 51.7%) and hanging (95, 39.3%). Independent risks of suicide included unstable marital status [odds ratio (OR) 4.19, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.61–10.92], unemployed (compared with employed, OR 4.43, 95% CI 1.09–17.95), depressive symptoms (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.21–1.48), and mental disorder (OR 6.28, 95% CI 1.75–22.54). Structural equation model indicated that the association between being left-behind and suicide was mediated by mental disorder, depressive symptoms, stressful life events, and social support.ConclusionsUnstable marital status, unemployed, depressive symptoms, and mental disorder are independent risk factors for suicide in rural elderly. Being left-behind can elevate the suicide risk through increasing life stresses, depressive symptoms, mental disorder, and decreasing social support. Elderly suicide may be prevented by restricting pesticides, training rural physicians, treating mental disorders, mitigating life stress, and enhancing social connection.

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