Internet Mindfulness Meditation Intervention (IMMI) Improves Depression Symptoms in Older Adults

Background: Older adults have fewer physiological reserves and are more likely to be affected by stress. Mindfulness meditation has the potential to be an effective treatment for depression, but little research has been conducted on older adults. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate depression symptom changes in older adults (55–80 years old) taking an Internet Mindfulness Meditation Intervention (IMMI) compared to a waitlist control. The secondary aims were to collect data on pain, perceived stress, resilience, mindfulness, sleep quality, and spirituality. Methods: Fifty older adults were randomized to either the Internet Mindfulness Meditation Intervention, a six-week online intervention with daily home practice, or a waitlist control. Measures were collected at baseline, after the six-week intervention period, and again six weeks later after the waitlist participants completed IMMI. Adherence to home practice was objectively measured with iMINDr. Changes in outcomes for the IMMI and waitlist participants were compared. All participants who completed IMMI were then combined for a within-participant analysis. Results: Adherence to the intervention was low, likely due to a traumatic event in the local area of the participants. Compared to the waitlist participants, those in IMMI had improved depression symptoms (p < 0.00005), perceived stress (p = 0.0007), insomnia symptoms ((p = 0.0009), and pain severity (p = 0.05). In the within-participant analysis of all data before and after IMMI (i.e., those initially randomized to IMMI and waitlist participants who took it), we found improvements in depression symptoms (p = 0.0001), perceived stress (p = 0.0001), insomnia symptoms (p < 0.00005), pain interference (p = 0.003), and spirituality (p = 0.018). A seven-week follow-up after the original six-week IMMI program showed sustained improvements in the IMMI participants. Conclusions: IMMI improved depression and related symptoms compared to controls despite minimal support from study staff. IMMI offers a low-dose, low-cost, easily accessible mindfulness meditation intervention for older adults with depression symptoms.

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iRest Meditation for Older Adults with Depression Symptoms: A Pilot Study

International Journal of Yoga Therapy ◽

10.17761/2019-00036 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 (1) ◽

pp. 9-17 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Helané Wahbeh ◽

Melissa Nelson

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Heart Rate ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

The United States ◽

Control Group ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Home Practice ◽

Healthy Older Adults ◽

Growing Population

Abstract Older adults, a rapidly growing population in the United States, have fewer physiological reserves and are more likely to be affected by stress, making them especially susceptible to depression symptoms. Meditation offers promising potential as an effective treatment; however, few studies have evaluated meditation interventions for this demographic. The objectives of this pilot study were to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of an iRest meditation program in older adults with depression symptoms and to collect preliminary data on its effect on depression and depression-related symptoms compared to a vacation control. The study occurred at the Institute of Noetic Sciences EarthRise Retreat Center and participants' homes. Thirty generally healthy older adults, aged 55–90, with depression symptoms were recruited. Participants were randomly assigned to a 2-day retreat of either iRest meditation training or vacation. After the retreat, participants were asked to complete 20 minutes of home practice per day for 6 weeks; this consisted of either guided meditations (iRest) or music (vacation). Data were collected pre- and post-retreat and then 6 weeks later. Measures included depression-related variables (expectancy, depression symptoms, perceived stress, resilience, pain, sleep quality, and spirituality) and biomarkers (voice stress analysis, heart rate, heart rate variability). We found the iRest intervention for older adults with depression symptoms to be feasible and acceptable. Preliminary results at 6 weeks demonstrated improvements in sleep impairment in older adults compared to the control group and promising trends in improvements in depression symptoms and pain severity.

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Internet Mindfulness Meditation Intervention (IMMI) Program with iMINDr Application Support for Older Adults with Depression Symptoms: A Feasibility Study

OBM Integrative and Complementary Medicine ◽

10.21926/obm.icm.2104034 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 06 (04) ◽

pp. 1-1

Author(s):

Lutvija Hrnjic ◽

◽

Nina Fry ◽

Helané Wahbeh ◽

◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Mindfulness Meditation ◽

Well Being ◽

Health Concern ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Attrition Rates ◽

Significant Public Health Concern ◽

Before And After ◽

Significant Public Health ◽

Potential Applications

The growing population of older adults with depression is a significant public health concern, and effective treatments are necessary. Mindfulness meditation intervention offers effective treatment for depression, but little research has been conducted on the older population. This study aimed to evaluate if the combination of the Internet Mindfulness Meditation Intervention (IMMI) plus iMINDr application improves well-being in older adults with depressive symptoms. Potential participants were recruited online. IMMI included a one-hour online session once a week, a daily 30-minute home practice of guided meditation using the iMINDr app, and a workbook. Measures were collected online before and after the six-week intervention period. Online session adherence was tracked. Thirty-eight participants completed all study requirements and are included in the analysis. Participants showed clinically and statistically significant improvements in depression symptoms, well-being, positive and negative affect, sleep quality, and pain intensity. Participants took 9.9 ± 3.5 weeks to complete the course. High attrition rates mainly were related to participants' motivation to complete the course and stress levels. There were no significant demographic differences between participants and depression symptoms. Potential applications and limitations are discussed. Internet Mindfulness Meditation Intervention (IMMI) was effective in treating depression symptoms in older adults.

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Feasibility, Acceptability, and Preliminary Efficacy of an App-Based Mindfulness-Meditation Program Among Older Adults

The Gerontologist ◽

10.1093/geront/gnaa093 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Leeann Mahlo ◽

Tim D Windsor

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Life Satisfaction ◽

Negative Affect ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

Mindfulness Meditation ◽

Well Being ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

The Body ◽

Study Interval ◽

Design And Methods

Abstract Background and Objectives Few studies have focused on the utility of mindfulness-meditation for well-being in older adults. The present study investigated the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of an app-based mindfulness-meditation program among older adults. Research Design and Methods A community-based sample of 46 participants aged between 63 and 81 (M = 70.85, SD = 4.70) engaged with a 30-day app-based mindfulness-meditation program for 10 min daily on their smartphones. Each meditation session comprised focusing on the breath, mentally scanning the body, monitoring the mind’s activity, and cultivating a nonjudgmental orientation toward experiences. Participants completed questionnaires at baseline, day 10, and day 30. Results On average, participants completed 25 sessions and almost 4 h of application use across the 30 days. Results of linear mixed effects models showed significant improvements in positive affect, negative affect, and life satisfaction across the study interval, but no meaningful change in total mindfulness or perceived stress. Furthermore, relative to high levels of smartphone efficacy, low smartphone efficacy was associated with higher perceived stress and negative affect, and less life satisfaction at baseline; and steeper improvements on these outcomes across the study interval. On average, older adults rated the app-based mindfulness-meditation training as interesting, enjoyable, valuable, and useful. Discussion and Implications The findings provide preliminary support for the feasibility and acceptability of an app-based mindfulness-meditation program with community-dwelling older adults and demonstrate potential benefits for well-being. Results suggest the value of further research investigating the efficacy of digital mindfulness-meditation interventions for older adults via larger randomized controlled trials.

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Social Capital as a Mediator through the Effect of Education on Depression and Obesity among the Elderly in China

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17113977 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (11) ◽

pp. 3977

Author(s):

Yu Xin ◽

Xiaohui Ren

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Social Capital ◽

Structural Equation Models ◽

The Elderly ◽

Mediating Effect ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Depression Symptom ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Cognitive Social Capital ◽

Structural Social Capital

Objectives: Global aging is an increasingly serious problem. The health problems faced by the elderly, such as depression and obesity, require serious consideration. Education, depression and obesity are inextricably linked; for the elderly, education is constant, and the factors which can mediate the relationship between education, depression and obesity are still being discussed by scholars. The mediating effect of social capital is rarely studied. The objective of this study was to assess the mediating role of cognitive social capital and structural social capital, as well as the effect of education on depression and obesity among the elderly using China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) data. Methods: In total, 4919 respondents were included in the final analysis. Education was measured by years of schooling. Trust and participation were used as measures of cognitive social capital and structural social capital. Depression symptoms and BMI were used as outcomes. Structural equation models were developed to examine the direct and indirect effect of social capital and education on health outcomes. Results: Education was negatively correlated with depression symptom (r = −0.15, p < 0.001), while education was positively correlated with BMI (r = 0.08, p < 0.001). Older adults with a higher education level have higher cognitive social capital (r = 0.11, p < 0.001) and structural social capital (r = 0.20, p < 0.001). Social capital plays a mediatory role. Older adults with higher social capital have a lower risk of depression (cognitive: r = −0.23, p < 0.001; structural: r = −0.03, p < 0.01) but a higher risk of obesity (cognitive: r = 0.06, p < 0.01; structural: r = 0.03, p < 0.01). For depression, the mediating function of cognitive social capital (a1b1= −0.025) is stronger than that of structural social capital (a2b2 = −0.006). While, for obesity, the effects of both cognitive and structural social capital are the same (a1c1 = a2c2 = 0.005). Conclusions: Social capital as a mediator through the effect of education on depression and obesity among the elderly in China. Meanwhile, using the positive effects of social capital to avoid negative effects should also be seriously considered.

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Sleep and mood in older adults: coinciding changes in insomnia and depression symptoms

International Psychogeriatrics ◽

10.1017/s1041610217001454 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 30 (3) ◽

pp. 431-435 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Michael J. Li ◽

Afton Kechter ◽

Richard E. Olmstead ◽

Michael R. Irwin ◽

David S. Black

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Sleep Quality ◽

Depressed Mood ◽

Sleep Problems ◽

Secondary Analysis ◽

Biological Marker ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Linear Regression Models ◽

Athens Insomnia Scale ◽

Insomnia Symptoms

ABSTRACTThe aim of this analysis was to test if changes in insomnia symptoms and global sleep quality are associated with coinciding changes in depressed mood among older adults. We report on results yielded from secondary analysis of longitudinal data from a clinical trial of older adults (N = 49) aged 55 to 80 years who reported at least moderate levels of sleep problems. All measures were collected at baseline and after the trial ten weeks later. We computed change scores for two separate measures of disturbed sleep, the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and tested their association with change in depressed mood (Beck Depression Inventory-II; BDI-II) in two separate linear regression models adjusted for biological covariates related to sleep (sex, age, body mass index, and NF-κB as a biological marker previously correlated with insomnia and depression). Change in AIS scores was associated with change in BDI-II scores (β = 0.38, p < 0.01). Change in PSQI scores was not significantly associated with change in BDI-II scores (β = 0.17, p = 0.26). Our findings suggest that improvements over ten weeks in insomnia symptoms rather than global sleep quality coincide with improvement in depressed mood among older adults.

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Feasibility and Acceptability of App-Based Mindfulness-Meditation Training for Older Adults

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.1324 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 411-411

Author(s):

Leeann Mahlo ◽

Tim Windsor

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Life Satisfaction ◽

Negative Affect ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

Mindfulness Meditation ◽

Well Being ◽

The Body ◽

Community Based ◽

Convenience Sample ◽

Study Interval

Abstract Few studies have focused on the utility of mindfulness-meditation for well-being in older adults. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility and acceptability of an app-based mindfulness-meditation program for community-based older adults. A convenience sample of 46 participants aged between 63 and 81 (M = 70.85, SD = 4.70) was recruited from the community. Participants were invited to engage with a 30-day app-based mindfulness-meditation program for 10-minutes daily on their smartphones. Each meditation session comprised focusing on the breath, mentally scanning the body, monitoring the mind’s activity, and cultivating a nonjudgmental attitude toward experience. Participants completed psychosocial questionnaires at baseline, day 10, and day 30. On average, participants completed 25 sessions and almost 4 hours of application use across the 30-days. Results of linear mixed effects models showed significant improvements in positive affect, negative affect, and life satisfaction across the study interval, but no meaningful change in total or facet-level mindfulness or perceived stress. Furthermore, relative to high levels of smartphone efficacy, low smartphone efficacy was associated with higher perceived stress and negative affect, and less life satisfaction at baseline; and steeper improvements on these outcomes across the study interval. Results indicated that, on average, older adults found app-based mindfulness-meditation training interesting, enjoyable, valuable, and useful. The findings provide preliminary support for the feasibility and acceptability of an app-based mindfulness-meditation program with community-based older adults and demonstrate potential benefits for well-being. Furthermore, older adults’ perceptions of smartphone competency may play an important role in the outcomes of app-based programs.

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Mental Health Status of Healthcare Workers During the COVID-19 Outbreak

European Journal of Psychology Open ◽

10.1024/2673-8627/a000010 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Christiana Nicolaou ◽

Joanna Menikou ◽

Demetris Lamnisos ◽

Jelena Lubenko ◽

Giovambattista Presti ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Social Support ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Perceived Social Support ◽

Mental Healthcare ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Depression Symptom ◽

Health Crisis ◽

Symptoms Of Depression

Abstract. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is a massive health crisis that has exerted enormous physical and psychological pressure. Mental healthcare for healthcare workers (HCWs) should receive serious consideration. This study served to determine the mental-health outcomes of 1,556 HCWs from 45 countries who participated in the COVID-19 IMPACT project, and to examine the predictors of the outcomes during the first pandemic wave. Methods: Outcomes assessed were self-reported perceived stress, depression symptom, and sleep changes. The predictors examined included sociodemographic factors and perceived social support. Results: The results demonstrated that half of the HCWs had moderate levels of perceived stress and symptoms of depression. Half of the HCWs ( n = 800, 51.4%) had similar sleeping patterns since the pandemic started, and one in four slept more or slept less. HCWs reported less perceived stress and depression symptoms and higher levels of perceived social support than the general population who participated in the same project. Predictors associated with higher perceived stress and symptoms of depression among HCWs included female sex, not having children, living with parents, lower educational level, and lower social support. Discussion: The need for establishing ways to mitigate mental-health risks and adjusting psychological interventions and support for HCWs seems to be significant as the pandemic continues.

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Subjective, neuropsychological, and neural markers of memory in older adults

International Psychogeriatrics ◽

10.1017/s1041610221002623 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Julia L. Sheffler ◽

Melissa A. Meynadasy ◽

Diamond T. Taylor ◽

Dimitris N. Kiosses ◽

Greg Hajcak

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

Psychosocial Functioning ◽

Verbal Learning ◽

Depression Scale ◽

Well Being ◽

Event Related Potential ◽

P300 Amplitude ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Psychological Well Being

ABSTRACT Objectives: To investigate the relationship between the P300 event-related potential, neuropsychological measures of memory, subjective memory complaints (SMCs), and indicators of psychosocial functioning. Design, setting, and participants: In this cross-sectional study of 79 community-based older adults, aged 60–75 years, participants completed online surveys and in-person neuropsychological and electroencephalogram (EEG) assessments. Measurements: Measures included: the Change subscale of the Metamemory in Adulthood Questionnaire, NIH Toolbox Emotions battery (Perceived Stress and Psychological Well-Being), Geriatric Depression Scale, Geriatric Anxiety Scale, electrocortical measures (EEG), California Verbal Learning Test, 3rd Edition, and diagnostic ratings for mild and major neurocognitive disorders based on full neuropsychological battery, clinical interview, and two-clinician consensus. Results: P300 amplitude was associated with long-delay verbal memory recall and diagnostic rating. SMCs were not associated with objective memory or diagnostic rating. SMCs were associated with higher perceived stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms and lower psychological well-being. Conclusions: Neural indicators such as the P300 may be useful for early detection of cognitive impairment. SMCs were not a reliable indicator of early memory impairment in relation to neuropsychological or neural indicators, but may be a useful indicator of unreported stress and mood symptoms in clinical settings.

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