Psychological Predictors of Mortality in Old Age

Maier, Heiner; Smith, Jacqui

doi:10.1093/geronb/54b.1.p44

Cited by 256 publications

(245 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…In this study, we explored whether the associations between the age-related changes in depressive symptoms, arthritis diagnosis, and mortality remained after controlling for education, and agerelated changes in living arrangement, marital status, cognitive functioning, and illness burden (Anstey, von Sanden, Sargent-Cox, & Luszcz, 2007;Maier & Smith, 1999;Pessin, Rosenfeld, & Breitbart, 2002;Rapp, Gerstorf, Helmchen, & Smith, 2008).…”

Section: Covariates: Cognitive Functioning and Illness Burdenmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trajectories of depressive symptoms in old age: Integrating age-, pathology-, and mortality-related changes.

Chui¹,

Gerstorf

Hoppmann³

et al. 2015

Psychology and Aging

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Late life involves a variety of different challenges to well-being. This study extends upon and qualifies propositions drawn from the paradox of well-being in aging using 15-year longitudinal data on depressive symptoms from old and very old participants in the Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing (at baseline n = 2,087, M age = 78.69 years, range = 65-103 years; 49.40% women). We first examined age-related trajectories in depressive symptoms from young-old to oldest-old, taking into account (changes in) relevant correlates, pathology, and mortality, and, second, investigated gender differences in these trajectories. Results revealed that age-related trajectories of depressive symptoms were indeed predictive of mortality hazards. The unique predictive effects of both level of, and change in, depressive symptoms were independent of one another and hold after taking into account education as well as changes in marital status, living arrangements, cognitive function, and illness burden. In addition, results indicated that depressive symptoms were elevated among participants suffering from arthritis, and increased with age more markedly in men than in women. In particular, the significant age by gender interaction indicated that the gender gap in depressive symptoms reduced from young-old to oldold and reversed in very old age when men showed more depressive symptoms than women.Qualifying the paradox of well-being in aging, findings demonstrate that depressive symptoms increased from young-old to oldest-old and suggest that age-, pathology-, and mortality-related changes should be examined in concert to advance our understanding of individual differences in Late life involves many challenges with consequences for changes in well-being (Baltes, 1997; Berg, 1996; Birren & Cunningham, 1985). Yet, in contrast to age-normative declines in physical health and cognitive functioning, a myriad of studies provide empirical evidence of a relative stability or even improvement in well-being in old age (Charles & Carstensen, 2010; Charles, Reynolds, & Gatz, 2001;Mather, 2012;Mroczek & Kolarz, 1998). This preservation of well-being despite age-related losses has been coined "the stability paradox of well-being in aging" (Kunzmann, Little, & Smith, 2000;Mather, 2012). From our perspective, however, the empirical evidence for the paradox has three important limitations. First, evidence mostly concerns age-related changes in the cognitive component of subjective well-being (e.g., life satisfaction; Diener, Suh, Lucas, & Smith, 1999;Gana, Bailly, Saada, Joulain, & Alaphilippe, 2013), whereas results regarding age-related changes in affective components of subjective wellbeing are less clear (Schilling, 2006). Second, the well-being paradox may hold only until early old age and less is known about life periods for which major loss experiences are frequent such as old-old and oldest-old age (Baltes & Smith, 2003). Third, a major challenge for research examining age-related changes in well-being pertains to the fact that ...

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Section: Covariates: Cognitive Functioning and Illness Burdenmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trajectories of depressive symptoms in old age: Integrating age-, pathology-, and mortality-related changes.

Chui¹,

Gerstorf

Hoppmann³

et al. 2015

Psychology and Aging

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“…Despite a general self-enhancement bias in well-being (e.g., the stability-despite-loss paradox), perceptions and evaluations of the self show sufficient reliable diversity allowing subtle differences to be powerful enough to predict outcomes such as morbidity (Levy, 2003) and mortality (Danner, Snowdon, & Friesen, 2001;Maier & Smith, 1999).…”

Section: Conceptual Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At an everyday and pragmatic level, low cognitive functioning may act as a risk factor for decline in well-being because it sets constraints on an individual's capacity to manage the routines of everyday life and thereby contributes to reduced satisfaction with life (cf. Maier & Smith, 1999).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Well-being affects changes in perceptual speed in advanced old age: Longitudinal evidence for a dynamic link.

Gerstorf

Lövdén

Röcke

et al. 2007

Developmental Psychology

103

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This study examined competing hypotheses about dynamic cross-domain associations between perceptual speed and well-being in advanced old age. We applied the bivariate dual change score model (J. J. McArdle & F. Hamagami, 2001) to 13-year incomplete longitudinal data from the Berlin Aging Study (P. B. Baltes & K. U. Mayer, 1999; N ϭ 516, 70 -103 years at T1, M ϭ 85 years). Reports of well-being were found to influence subsequent decline in perceptual speed (time lags of 2 years). No evidence was found for a directed effect in the other direction. None of the potential covariates examined (initial health constraints, personality, and social participation) accounted for these differential lead-lag associations. Our results suggest that well-being is not only a consequence of but also a source for successful aging. The discussion focuses on conceptual implications and methodological considerations.

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“…Even when physical health conditions are controlled, perceived health has been found to predict a variety of outcomes, including quality of life, service utilization, morbidity, and mortality [1,[3][4][5][6][7]. Due to the greater likelihood of health deterioration, the significance of perceived health among older populations is pronounced [5,8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studies have found that persons with equivalent levels of physical conditions have different ratings of perceived health [9,10]. The discordance between objective and subjective health measures implies that the process of health appraisals is complex and goes beyond a simple summing of medical conditions or level of disability [1,4,6]. Moreover, the literature suggests that perceived health has a role to play in the health equation that is independent of its roots in actual physical health [9,10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in Perceived Health and Depressive Symptoms: A Longitudinal Analysis with Older Korean Americans

Jang

Kim

Cho

2007

J Immigrant Minority Health

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The present study examined changes in the perceived health of older Korean Americans (n = 141) over a 2-year period: 2003 (T1) and 2005 (T2). A hierarchical regression model of changes in perceived health was estimated with the following array of predictors: (1) background variables (age, gender, marital status, education, and length of stay in the United States), (2) initial perceived health (T1), (3) physical and mental health conditions at T1 (chronic conditions, functional disability, and depressive symptoms), and (4) changes in physical and mental health conditions (T2 -T1). When the effects of background variables and baseline perceived health were controlled, baseline chronic conditions and changes in both chronic conditions and depressive symptoms were found to predict changes in perceived health. Older individuals who initially had more chronic conditions and those who had experienced an increasing number of chronic conditions and depressive symptoms over 2 years viewed their health more negatively at follow-up. Findings highlight the importance of interventions for disease management and mental health promotion to enhance subjective health among older Korean immigrants.

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Psychological Predictors of Mortality in Old Age

Cited by 256 publications

References 42 publications

Trajectories of depressive symptoms in old age: Integrating age-, pathology-, and mortality-related changes.

Trajectories of depressive symptoms in old age: Integrating age-, pathology-, and mortality-related changes.

Well-being affects changes in perceptual speed in advanced old age: Longitudinal evidence for a dynamic link.

Changes in Perceived Health and Depressive Symptoms: A Longitudinal Analysis with Older Korean Americans

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