Functional impairment, illness burden, and depressive symptoms in older adults: does type of social relationship matter?

Moderators of the Association Between Contact Frequency With Non-Cohabitating Adult Children and Depressive Symptoms Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults

OBJECTIVE

Contact frequency with adult children plays a critical role in late-life depression. However, evidence on possible moderators of this association remains limited. Moreover, considering alterations in contact modes after the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic, there is a need to investigate this association post-pandemic to develop effective therapeutic interventions.

METHODS

This study included 7,573 older adults who completed the Living Profiles of the Older People Survey in Korea. Participants' contact frequency and depressive symptoms were analyzed. Regression analysis was performed after adjusting for covariates. The moderating effects of variables were verified using a process macro.

RESULTS

Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that infrequent face-to-face (odd ratio [OR]=1.86, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.55-2.22) and non-face-to-face contact (OR=1.23, 95% CI=1.04-1.45) in the non-cohabitating adult children group was associated with a higher risk of late-life depression compared to that in the frequent contact group. Linear regression analysis indicated consistent results for face-to-face and non-face-to-face contact (estimate=0.458, standard error [SE]=0.090, p<0.001 and estimate=0.236, SE= 0.074, p=0.001, respectively). Moderation analysis revealed that the association between late-life depression and frequency of face-toface contact was moderated by age, household income quartiles, number of chronic diseases, physical activity frequency, presence of spouse, nutritional status, and whether the effect of frequency of non-face-to-face contact on late-life depression was increased by participation in social activity, frequent physical activity, and good cognitive function (p for interaction<0.05).

CONCLUSION

Frequent contact with non-cohabitating children lowers the risk of depression later in life. Several variables were identified as significant moderators of contact frequency and depression symptoms.

Association between self-efficacy and self-management behaviours among individuals at high risk for stroke: Social support acting as a mediator

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To explore the association between self-efficacy and self-management by modelling three types of social support as mediators among stroke high-risk populations.

BACKGROUND

Self-efficacy and social support (i.e. objective support, subjective support and support utilisation) are important for self-management among stroke high-risk populations. Self-efficacy activates three types of social support, and the effect of social support on self-management varies by types among chronic patients. Therefore, social support may act as a mediator between self-efficacy and self-management, and the mediating role may vary by types of social support. Disentangling the role of these different types of social support can guide tailored interventions.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study.

METHODS

This study was conducted among 448 Chinese adults at high risk for stroke. Self-efficacy, self-management and social support were assessed using the Self-Efficacy Scale, the Stroke Self-management Scale and the Social Support Rating Scale respectively. The PROCESS SPSS Macro version 3.3, model 4 was used to explore the mediating role of different types of social support in the relationship between self-efficacy and self-management. This study followed STROBE checklist for cross-sectional studies (Appendix S1).

RESULTS

Self-efficacy improved three types of social support, and subjective support and support utilisation promoted self-management, but objective support hindered self-management. The specific indirect effect of objective support and subjective support was significant but not that of support utilisation. Objective support, subjective support and support utilisation attenuated the total effect of self-efficacy on self-management by -23.8%, 23.8% and 7.7% respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Mediating effect of social support in the relationship between self-efficacy and self-management varies by type, and the positive effect of subjective support is offset by the detrimental effect of objective support.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

Among stroke high-risk populations, interventions should target objective support and subjective support as well as self-efficacy to efficiently improve their self-management.

Functional Impairment and Depressive Symptoms among Older Adults of Rural Nepal: The Moderating Role of Three Sources of Social Support

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to determine whether social support from family, friends, and significant others moderated the relationship between functional impairment and depressive symptoms among Nepali older adults living in rural areas.

METHODS

The participants were 147 women (Mage = 66.71, SDage = 5.97) and 153 men (Mage = 67.41, SDage = 6.47) aged 60 years and older who lived in the rural mid-hills of Nepal. They completed the Karnofsky Performance Status Scale, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form.

RESULTS

Only 6.3% participants experienced some degree of functional impairment. Almost half (44.33%) of participants had depressive symptoms. Social support from family and friends, but not significant others, moderated the relationship between functional impairment and depressive symptoms. Social support from family was protective for older adults with moderate to high levels of functional impairment. Social support from friends was protective at no to low levels of functional impairment.

CONCLUSIONS

Interventions aimed at increasing social support from family among Nepali older adults living in rural hilly areas may reduce depressive symptoms, particularly among those with high levels of functional impairment.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

Family support is important to alleviate depressive symptoms among functionally impaired older adults.

Suicidality in the geriatric population

Suicide in older adults is a major global concern in both public and mental health. With an ageing population on the rise, a surge in suicidal deaths is predicted in the coming years. The objectives of this paper are to review the risk factors, protective factors, assessment rating scales and current prevention strategies in the geriatric population. The identification of modifiable risk factors and strengthening of protective factors as well as staging according to suicidal ideation, behaviors and/or attempt(s) are necessary to devise appropriate personalized interventions in vulnerable older adults. A history or current psychiatric illness particularly depression, physical illnesses, previous suicide attempt, substance abuse, loneliness, marital status, financial stress, a family history of psychiatric illnesses or suicide in 1st degree relatives and low social support most commonly increase suicidal susceptibility in older adults. Conversely, factors that increase resilience in older adults include a good physical health and cognitive function, religiousness, good quality of life and life satisfaction, ability to perform activities of daily living, marital status, having friends and social connectedness. While the risk factors associated with suicide in the geriatric population are complex and multidimensional in nature, the current preventive strategies have provided no substantial decline in suicidal risk. Therefore, a combination of strategies applied via a multilevel prevention program at a primary, mental healthcare, societal and community level could mitigate suicidal risk. Further research and better preventive measures are warranted to diminish suicidal risk in older adults.

The moderating effects of social support and depressive symptoms on pain among elderly multimorbid patients-data from the multicentre, prospective, observational cohort study MultiCare

OBJECTIVES

Depressive symptoms and chronic pain are common among patients with multimorbidity creating a complex medical condition for both the patient and the general practitioner. Perceived social support may function as a protective measure.

To examine the impact of perceived social support as a potential moderator between depressive symptoms and pain intensity and pain disability in daily activities in multimorbid patients aged 75+.

METHOD

Data from 3,189 patients of the German longitudinal cohort study MultiCare were obtained at baseline and follow-ups during 5 years. Multilevel linear mixed-effects analyses were conducted for pain intensity (model 1) and pain disability in daily activities (model 2). The interaction term social support by depression score was included to test for moderation.

RESULTS

The interaction between social support and depressive symptoms was significantly associated with the pain intensity score 0.41 (SE=.17; 95-CI[.08;.74]) but not with the pain disability score 0.35 (SE=.19; 95-CI[-.01;.72]). Additionally, men and individuals with medium or higher educational level showed reduced pain intensity and disability scores. Pain disability scores increased with age and depressive symptoms. Increased pain scores were also found for body mass index and burden of multimorbidity.

CONCLUSION

Perceived social support amplified the association of depressive symptoms on pain intensity and did not show a protective function. The high scores of perceived social support among the participants may point to the practice of secondary gain due to the patients immense health burden.

Loneliness and depression among adults living on MS Gulf Coast: Individual, interpersonal and community predictors

Loneliness and depression are mental health problems prevailing in United States as well as the world. The primary goal of this study was to identify risk and protective factors associated with loneliness and depression at the individual, interpersonal and community levels among adults living on Mississippi Gulf Coast. Survey data on 310 adults from three coastal counties was analysed. Bivariate analyses and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to determine correlates and predictors of loneliness and depression. Bivariate analyses showed that loneliness was correlated with marital status, insurance, income, perceived social support and community resilience. Depression was found to be correlated with marital status, insurance, education, income, perceived social support and community resilience. As expected, a significant correlation was found between loneliness and depression. Multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that race, marital status, income, perceived social support and community resilience predicted loneliness, while income and perceived social support served as predictors of depression. Results make it clear that in addition to addressing individual and interpersonal factors, community is important in reducing the incidence of loneliness.

Intergenerational support and depressive symptoms among older adults in rural China: the moderating roles of age, living alone, and chronic diseases

Background

While depressive symptoms are recognized as major mental health problems in later life, there is a lack of study in examining potential moderators in the association between intergenerational support and depressive symptoms, especially in social contexts with low socioeconomic status and inadequate formal public support. This study set out to examine the association between intergenerational support and depressive symptoms among older adults in rural Northeast China, and the potential moderating roles of age, living alone, and number of chronic diseases on this link.

Methods

A quota sampling approach was used to recruit 448 respondents aged 60 and above from rural Chinese communities. Depressive symptoms were the dependent variable. Intergenerational emotional, instrumental, and financial support were the main independent variables. Age, living alone, and number of chronic diseases were the moderators. Multiple linear regression models with interaction terms were conducted to test the proposed model.

Results

The results showed that intergenerational emotional support was significantly associated with depressive symptoms in older adults when instrumental and financial support and covariates were controlled (β = -0.196, p < .001). Age was found to have a significant moderating effect on the relationship between intergenerational instrumental support and depressive symptoms (β = -0.118, p < .05). Among older respondents aged 74.51 years and older, instrumental support was positively associated with depressive symptoms, but this association was not significant for younger respondents. Furthermore, living alone and number of chronic diseases suffered moderated the association between intergenerational financial support and depressive symptoms, which was statistically significant only for those living alone and with more chronic diseases (interaction term between living alone and intergenerational financial support: β = -0.082, p < .05; interaction term between number of chronic diseases and intergenerational financial support: β = -0.088, p < .05.

Conclusions

The findings not only highlight the important role of intergenerational support in promoting mental health in later life in rural Chinese contexts, but also identify within-population heterogeneity in the identified associations. Policy and intervention implications are discussed.

Social support moderates suicidal ideation among Chinese nursing home residents with limited activities of daily living and loneliness

Rare studies are available exploring the impact of limited activities of daily living (ADL), loneliness on suicidal ideation, and protective effect of social support on their relationships in nursing home residents. This study aims to examine these links in a sample of older adults from nursing homes. A stratified random sampling was adopted to recruit 538 respondents from 37 nursing homes in Jinan. Suicidal ideation, limited ADL, social support and loneliness were assessed through instruments of Beck Suicidal Ideation Scale, ADL scale, Perceived Social Support Scale and UCLA Loneliness Scale. Relationships of latent variables were tested using Path Analysis in this cross-sectional study. The mediating effect of loneliness was significant on the association between limited ADL and suicidal ideation, and the mediation model was multiply moderated by social support with significant coefficients and acceptable model fitness. This study demonstrated the multiple moderating role of social support in the effect of limited ADL and loneliness on suicidal ideation among nursing home residents. More efforts are suggested in providing more available external resources to seniors' mental health for reducing risk of influencing factors of suicidal ideation.

Negative old-age life events and well-being in later life: the moderating and mediating role of loneliness

OBJECTIVES

Although older adults often experience negative life events or loss experiences, they rarely experience large decreases in their quality of life or well-being. Emotionally satisfying relationships in older adults may serve as a protective factor that reduces the impact of negative events in decreasing well-being. The availability of these close social contacts is essential, and their potential for alleviating feelings of loneliness after negative events could have an important role in promoting well-being. The aim of this study was to test the hypothetical moderation and mediation effects of social and emotional loneliness on the occurrence of negative old-age life events and well-being in later life.

DESIGN

This was a cross-sectional survey conducted as part of the Detection, Support and Care for older people - Prevention and Empowerment research project (2015-2018).

SETTING

Participants were community-dwelling older adults in Flanders (Belgium).

PARTICIPANTS

The sample composed of 770 participants aged 60 years and over.

MEASUREMENTS

Participant demographics, social and emotional loneliness, and subjective well-being were measured. Moderation and mediation analyses were performed using the regression-based approach as conducted by Hayes and Rockwood (2017).

RESULTS

Results indicated that a low degree of (social) loneliness is a protective, moderating factor and (emotional) loneliness is a mediating factor on the effects of negative life events on well-being in later life.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings highlight the importance of emotionally and socially satisfying social contacts in order to maintain positive subjective well-being in later life when negative life events may occur.

An Intentionally Designed Walking Program for Seniors Results in Enhanced Community Connection

Social connection is vital for older adults' physical and psychological well-being, yet nearly one third of them report feeling lonely. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of a monthly walking program (walking once a month for 8 months) on older adults' community connection. Older adults (Mage = 78.06 ± 5.98 years) completed a focus group at the completion of the program (n = 15). Qualitative findings indicate that participation in the walking program led to enhanced social connection. Researchers developed six major themes: (1) frequent and engaging walking programs, (2) benefits of group activity, (3) enhanced social connections, (4) connection to the community, (5) knowledge about transit, and (6) personal well-being, and 10 subthemes. Implications from this study highlight the importance of designing a walking program with older adults' needs and desires in mind.

Depression, functional disability, and accessing health care among older Ghanaians and South Africans: a comparative study based on WHO study on global ageing and adult health (SAGE)

OBJECTIVES

The study explored the association and variabilities between mild depression, functional disability, and healthcare access among older Ghanaians and South Africans.

METHOD

The data used in this study was based on the Cross-sectional wave 1 (2007-2010) data from WHO's Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE). Using multiple binary logistic regression, responses from a sample of 4558 Ghanaians and 3076 South Africans were analyzed to investigate hypothesized patterns.

RESULTS

The proportion of mild depression (MD) is 6.0 % and 7.53% for older Ghanaians and older South Africans, respectively. At 95% Confidence Interval, increased severity (mild and high levels) of functional disability are associated with increased odds of MD in Ghanaian and South African older adults. Apart from South African older adults, older Ghanaians in the study who do not receive healthcare when needed have increased odds of MD than those who do. Sociodemographic and socioeconomic factors are also associated with MD.

DISCUSSION

An untreated, persistent MD may lead to worse conditions with fatal outcomes. Since mental health care is lacking in both countries, this study may inform policies directed towards support for formal and informal long-term care, and healthcare access to reduce the risks of depression.

Relationship Between Frailty and Depression Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: The Mediating and Moderating Role of Social Support

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Frailty is associated with depression in older adults and reduces their social support. However, the mechanism underlying such relationship remains unclear. We aim to examine whether social support acts as a mediator or moderator in the relationship between frailty and depression.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,779 community-dwelling older adults aged 60 and older. Frailty, social support, and depressive symptoms were measured by the Physical Frailty Phenotype, Social Support Rating Scale, and five-item Geriatric Depression Scale, respectively. Data were also collected on age, gender, years of schooling, monthly income, cognitive function, number of chronic diseases, physical function, and pain.

RESULTS

Linear regression models showed that subjective support and support utilization, but not objective support, mediated and moderated the relationship between frailty and depressive symptoms. The Johnson-Neyman technique determined a threshold of 30 for subjective support, but not for support utilization, beyond which the detrimental effect of frailty on depressive symptoms was offset.

DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS

Social support underlies the association of frailty with depression, and its protective role varies by type. Interventions on depression should address improving perceptions and utilization of social support among frail older adults rather than simply providing them with objective support.

Living arrangements and life satisfaction: mediation by social support and meaning in life

BACKGROUND

Living arrangements have impact on life satisfaction among older adults. However, the mechanism how it works has received less attention. This study aims to examine the mediating role of meaning in life and social support in the relationship between living arrangements and life satisfaction.

METHODS

A total of 215 older adults from nine nursing homes and three communities were included in this study. The Social Support Rating Scale, Meaning in Life Questionnaire and Life Satisfaction Index A were adopted. Data were analyzed with Hayes' s bias-corrected bootstrapping method.

RESULTS

Both social support and presence of meaning in life had positive correlations with life satisfaction (p<0.001), and they were significant mediators between living arrangements and life satisfaction (p<0.01).

CONCLUSION

To improve the life satisfaction of nursing home residents, more emphasis should be placed on encouraging residents to seek or maintain a meaningful life and creating a more positive climate of social support.

Factors That Influence the Relationship Between Social Support and Health-Related Quality of Life of Older People Living in the Community

As the proportion of older people in Greece grows and the need for promoting healthy aging is apparent, it becomes increasingly important to investigate the relationship between social support and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of older people in the community. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 451 older people living in the community in greater Athens, Greece, with an anonymous questionnaire, including demographics, and the EQ5D including EuroQol-visual analogue scale (EQ-VAS) and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Multivariate linear regression analysis was applied to identify independent factors related to perceived social support and HRQoL. The majority of older people were women, married or widowed, living with their family or alone. Perceived social support was medium and higher from significant others and family. A statistically significant positive relationship was found between social support from significant others/friends and HRQoL, as well as between social support from friends/family/significant others and EQ-VAS. In conclusion, HRQoL of older people is influenced by the received social support.

Gender Differences in the Relationship between Living alone and Depressive Symptoms in Elderly Korean Adults

BACKGROUND

This study examined gender differences in the relationship between living alone and depressive symptoms in elderly Korean adults and the variables that influence this relationship.

METHODS

We conducted a secondary analysis using fourth-wave data from adults 65 yr of age or older who participated in the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging. Depressive symptoms were measured using the 10-item short-form of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used.

RESULTS

After controlling for the factors of formal and informal social activities, financial support from children, employment, activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, self-rated health, frequency of meals, and gender, living alone (AOR=1.45, 95% CI =1.09-1.93, P=0.010) was an independent risk factor that contributed to depressive symptoms in late life. Living alone was more likely to elevate depressive symptoms in older women but not in older men.

CONCLUSION

Gender differences in the depressive effect of living alone in late life may differ across diverse cultures.

Social Lives and Cliques Within Senior Housing Communities

A better understanding of social environments will benefit facilitation of social cultures within senior housing communities. Social cliques naturally form among groups of people, particularly those living in close proximity. Research has shown that often older adults experience stigma based upon their health status and are excluded from social groups. This study examined residents' perceptions of life in senior housing, social stigma, and cliques. Forty-eight residents from two types of senior housing communities participated in the study. Qualitative thematic coding was used to analyze responses to open-ended interview questions. Overall, residents reported satisfaction with the community and their privacy and reported difficulties with distance from family, caregiving, and bereavement. The majority were able to identify cliques, defining them based upon common interests, health status, and shared histories. The most salient finding was that while social cliques existed they were not a source of dissatisfaction or stigma.

Adverse Events in Home Care: Identifying and Responding with interRAI Scales and Clinical Assessment Protocols

Outcomes of adverse events in home care are varied and multifactorial. This study tested a framework combining two health measures to identify home care recipients at higher risk of long-term care placement or death within one year. Both measures come from the Resident Assessment Instrument-Home Care (RAI-HC), a standardized comprehensive clinical assessment. Persons scoring high in the Method for Assigning Priority Levels (MAPLe) algorithm and Changes in Health, End-stage disease, Signs and Symptoms (CHESS) scale were at the greatest risk of placement or death and more than twice as likely to experience either outcome earlier than others. The target group was more likely to trigger mood, social relationship, and caregiver distress issues, suggesting mental health and psychosocial interventions might help in addition to medical care and/or personal support services. Home care agencies can use this framework to identify home care patients who may require a more intensive care coordinator approach.

Social support and mental health status of older people: a population-based study in Iran-Tehran

OBJECTIVES

To investigate direct and stress-buffering associations between social support from family and the mental health of older people in Iran, a country which has recently undergone an exceptionally fast fertility transition and is consequently experiencing rapid population ageing.

METHOD

A cross-sectional stratified random survey of 800 people aged 60+ years resident in Tehran was conducted. In total, 644 people responded. The Social Provisions Scale and the General Health Questionnaire were used to measure perceived social support and mental health, respectively. Multilevel mixed-effects models were used to examine the hypotheses.

RESULTS

The findings supported the hypothesis of a direct association between perceived and received social support and mental health. However, we did not find strong evidence to suggest that social support buffered the effects of stress arising from limitations of physical functioning. Lack of help doing paperwork was associated with worse mental health for women but not men. Source of support did not seem to be important.

CONCLUSION

Our results indicated that in Tehran, as in Western settings, social support is important for the mental well-being of older people. Recommendations for policy and further research priorities based on the study findings were provided.

Perceived health status and life satisfaction in old age, and the moderating role of social support

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was on one hand to examine the associations between health impairment and life satisfaction, as well as social support and life satisfaction, and on the other, to analyze the moderating effect of social support with regard to health impairment and life satisfaction in a sample of community-dwelling older adults from urban areas of Granada, southern Spain.

METHOD

This was a cross-sectional survey in which a sample of 406 older adults with ages between 65 and 99 years old (M_age = 74.88, SD = 6.75) was selected. Multiple stepwise regression analysis was used to assess the impact of health impairment and perceived social support on life satisfaction. Moderation analysis was performed using the bias-corrected and accelerated bootstrapping approach.

RESULTS

Significant differences in life satisfaction scores were found by number and type of disease, restrictions in daily life activities and subjective health. Perceived health and perceived social support predicted life satisfaction. Besides global social support, emotional and affectionate support moderated the link between perceived health and life satisfaction.

CONCLUSIONS

Older people who do not rate their health status positively and indicate low levels of social support have a higher risk of being dissatisfied with their lives and due to this they should receive special attention from gerontologists.

Towards a new conceptualization of depression in older adult cancer patients: a review of the literature

OBJECTIVES

Identifying depression in older adults with cancer presents a set of unique challenges, as it combines the confounding influences of cancer and its treatment with the developmental changes associated with aging. This paper reviews the phenomenology of depression in older adults, and individuals diagnosed with cancer.

METHOD

PsychInfo, PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases were searched for English-language studies addressing the phenomenology, symptoms, or assessment of depression in older adults and those with cancer.

RESULTS

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM) criteria that appear to be relevant to both older adults and cancer patients are anhedonia, concentration difficulties, sleep disturbances, psychomotor retardation/agitation, and loss of energy. Possible alternative criteria that may be important considerations included constructs such as loss of purpose, loneliness, and irritability in older adults. Among cancer patients, tearfulness, social withdrawal, and not participating in treatment despite ability to do so were identified as potentially important symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

Current DSM criteria may not adequately assess depression in older cancer patients and alternative criteria may be important to inform the understanding and identification of depression in this population. Enhancing diagnostic accuracy of depression is important as both the over-diagnosis and under-diagnosis is accompanied with significant costs. Thus, continued research exploring the phenomenology and identifying effective indicators of depression in older cancer patients is needed.

Reciprocal Effects Between Health and Social Support in Older Adults’ Relationships With Their Children and Friends

This study examined the longitudinal reciprocal effects between health and social support in older adults’ relationships with their children and friends. Data are from the 2006 and 2010 waves of the Health and Retirement Study ( N = 3,760). We focused on three specific aspects of social support: frequency of contact, positive interactions, and negative interactions. We used autoregressive cross-lagged models to examine the bidirectional effects between social support and health. When the bidirectional effects between health and social support were simultaneously examined, the longitudinal effect of social support on health was not significant. In contrast, older adults’ poor health was associated with decreased contact and decreased positive interactions with friends as well as with increased negative interactions with their adult children and friends. The findings suggest that older adults’ poor health has a negative impact on their social relationships and that such effect surpasses the impact of social relationships on health.

Effects of Social Support and Volunteering on Depression Among Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

Guided by a stress-buffering model, this study examined the effect of the caregiver stress on depressive symptoms, specifically the moderating effects of social support and volunteering on the relationship between stress and depressive symptoms among grandparent caregivers. The 2010 Health and Retirement Survey included a sample of 1,973 grandparent caregivers who reported their stress scores. Findings suggest that positive social support and volunteering significantly moderated the relationship between stress and depressive symptoms. In particular, the study revealed that perceived quality of relations may help grandparent caregivers cope with their ongoing stress and enlarged social interaction may buffer the increase of negative stressor outcomes.

Concept of family insufficiency in the aged: critical literature analysis

OBJECTIVE

to identify the attributes of the "family insufficiency" concept of the aged in the literature.

METHOD

critical literature analysis.

RESULTS

family insufficiency is characterized as a complex process of psychosocial interaction, founded mainly on low social support of the aged and impaired family ties. Its antecedents are found in contemporary transformations within the family system, intergenerational conflicts, impaired family relationships and social vulnerability of the family. The consequences of family insufficiency include social vulnerability of the aged, decline of psychological and functional health, lower quality of life and unsuccessful aging. An original theoretical proposal was elaborated for the concept of family insufficiency in the elderly, with the identification of its attributes, antecedents and consequences.

CONCLUSION

the findings of this study constitute a theoretical advancement in the Family Insufficiency Syndrome in elderly people and provide data for future field research in developing the concept.

The association between higher social support and lower depressive symptoms among aging services clients is attenuated at higher levels of functional impairment

OBJECTIVE

Adults seeking services from the Aging Services Provider Network (ASPN) are at risk for depression. ASPN clients also have high prevalence of both functional impairments and social morbidities. Study of the relationships between these factors may inform the development of interventions for depression in this service setting.

METHODS

We interviewed 373 older adults accessing ASPN services and assessed depression symptom severity, functional impairment (instrumental activities of daily living and activities of daily living), and social support.

RESULTS

Lower social support and greater functional impairment were associated with greater depressive symptoms. At a high level of functional impairment, the inverse associations between indices of social support and depressive symptoms were attenuated.

CONCLUSIONS

Results suggest that older adults with more severe functional impairment may benefit somewhat less from increased social support with respect to depression symptom severity.

Late-life depression: Burden, severity and relationship with social support dimensions in a West African community

OBJECTIVES

The occurrence of depression in old age is often linked with grave consequences. The purpose of this study is to investigate the burden of depression and its relationship with perceived social support among the elderly in a West African community setting.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, participants made up of 350 elders aged 60 years and above were selected through multi-stage random sampling technique. All participants were interviewed with designed questionnaire, multidimensional scale of perceived social support (MSPSS) and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) to elicit socio-demographic profile, social support and depressive psychopathology respectively.

RESULTS

The participants were largely females (52.9%) and their mean age was 68.8±7.3 years. A little above one-quarter (26.4%) had depressive episode, and mild severity was preponderant. Low level of social support was associated with depression (χ(2)=8.418, p=0.004); especially low social supports from significant others (χ(2)=3.989, p=0.046) and family members (χ(2)=4.434, p=0.035). Similarly, severity of depression in the elderly correlated negatively with availability of social support from significant others (χ(2)=5.495, p=0.019) and family members (χ(2)=5.149, p=0.023).

CONCLUSION

Considering the burden of depression in this elderly population and the influential roles of social support especially from family and significant others on depression; strengthening of informal social support and formal social support for the elders is advocated. In addition, design of community based geriatric mental health with social services and articulation of public policy to address old age needs are implied.

Geriatric psychiatry review: differential diagnosis and treatment of the 3 D's - delirium, dementia, and depression

The three D's of Geriatric Psychiatry-delirium, dementia, and depression-represent some of the most common and challenging diagnoses for older adults. Delirium is often difficult to diagnose and treatment is sometimes controversial with the use of antipsychotic medications, but it is common in a variety of patient care settings and remains an independent risk factor for morbidity and mortality in older adults. Dementia may affect a significant number of older adults and is associated with delirium, depression, frailty, and failure to thrive. Treatment of dementia is challenging and while medication interventions are common, environmental and problem solving therapies may have some of the greatest benefits. Finally, depression increases with age and is more likely to present with somatic complaints or insomnia and is more likely to be reported to a primary care physician than any other healthcare provider by older adults. Depression carries an increased risk for suicide in older adults and proven therapies should be initiated immediately. These three syndromes have great overlap, can exist simultaneously in the same patient, and often confer increased risk for each other. The primary care provider will undoubtedly benefit from a solid foundation in the identification, classification, and treatment of these common problems of older adulthood.