scholarly journals Purpose in life is a robust protective factor of reported cognitive decline among late middle-aged adults: The Emory Healthy Aging Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 263 ◽  
pp. 310-317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aliza P. Wingo ◽  
Thomas S. Wingo ◽  
Wen Fan ◽  
Sharon Bergquist ◽  
Alvaro Alonso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
Purpose In Life ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Aging Study ◽  
Middle Aged Adults

scholarly journals Cross-Sectional Examination of Musculoskeletal Pain and Physical Function in a Racially and Socioeconomically Diverse Sample of Adults

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angie L Sardina ◽  
Alyssa A Gamaldo ◽  
Ross Andel ◽  
Shanthi Johnson ◽  
Tamara A Baker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Function ◽  
Physical Performance ◽  
Musculoskeletal Pain ◽  
Performance Measures ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Functional Limitation ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Middle Aged Adults

Abstract Background Musculoskeletal pain alters physiological function, which may be evidenced as early as middle age. Previous research has concluded that middle-aged adults are a high-risk group for musculoskeletal pain and report functional limitations similar to older adults. However, few studies have examined the relationships between musculoskeletal pain and physical function, using objective performance measures in a sample of racially and socioeconomically diverse adults. Thus, this study examined musculoskeletal pain in relation to physical function in middle-aged (30–64 years) White and Black adults and investigated whether the relationship varied by sociodemographic characteristics. Methods This cross-sectional examination incorporated data from the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life-Span Study. Participants (n = 875) completed measures of musculoskeletal pain and objective measures of physical performance (ie, lower and upper body strength, balance, and gait abnormalities). Physical performance measures were standardized to derive a global measure of physical function as the dependent variable. Results Approximately, 59% of participants identified at least 1 pain sites (n = 518). Multivariable regression analyses identified significant relationships between greater musculoskeletal pain and poorer physical function (β = −0.07, p = .031), in mid midlife (β = −0.04, p = .041; age 40–54) and late midlife (β = −0.05, p = .027; age 55–64). Conclusions This study observed that musculoskeletal pain was associated with poorer physical function within a diverse group of middle-aged adults. Future research should longitudinally explore whether chronic musculoskeletal pain identified at younger ages is associated with greater risk for functional limitation and dependence in later life.

Goal Pursuit, Goal Adjustment, and Pain in Middle-Aged Adults Aging With Physical Disability

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (10_suppl) ◽  
pp. 214S-240S
Author(s):  
Anne Arewasikporn ◽  
Ann Marie Roepke ◽  
Aaron P. Turner ◽  
Kevin N. Alschuler ◽  
Rhonda M. Williams ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Physical Disability ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Goal Pursuit ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Pain Interference ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Goal Adjustment ◽  
Cord Injury ◽  
Middle Aged Adults

Objective: Aging with physical disability disrupts one’s ability to achieve valued goals due to changes in symptoms and function. It is unclear how to cope optimally in this context. This study examined whether two possible strategies—tenacious goal pursuit (TGP) and flexible goal adjustment (FGA)—were associated with reduced pain interference and depressive symptoms and greater well-being, and protected against pain intensity, and FGA was more protective with increasing age and worse physical function. Method: Middle-aged adults with muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, post-polio syndrome, or spinal cord injury ( N = 874; MAGE = 58.3 years, range = 46-68; MDISEASEDURATION = 26.2 years, range = 2-67) completed two questionnaires, a year apart. Results: TGP and FGA use was associated with greater well-being. FGA use predicted decreased depressive symptoms. Concurrent use of both predicted decreased pain interference. Discussion: Adults with disability employ a variety of goal management strategies. Findings support TGP and FGA as potential intervention targets for healthy aging with disabilities.

scholarly journals Creative Hobbies as a Protective Factor Against Stress During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 14-14
Author(s):  
Sarah Israel ◽  
Darby Mackenstadt ◽  
Carolyn Adams-Price
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
Health Anxiety ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Moderation Effect ◽  
Middle Aged Adults ◽  
High Degree

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically impacted our way of life, leading to increased rates of anxiety and depression (Panchal et al., 2021). The implications may be worse for older adults who account for 80% of all COVID deaths (Freed et al., 2020). Meanwhile, prior to the pandemic, Adams-Price and colleagues (2018) found that creative hobby participation provided slightly different benefits for middle-aged and older adults. Specifically, evidence suggested that middle-aged adults may use their creative hobby more for stress relief than older adults. Using a sample of 239 women, aged 40 to 84 years old (M = 59.7), we examined whether the degree to which viewing one’s creative hobby as a component of one’s identity related to perceived stress, health anxiety, and depressive symptoms. In addition, we wanted to know whether these relationships were moderated by age. Single moderation models suggest that viewing one’s creative hobby as a part of their identity was related to higher health anxiety and reporting more depressive symptoms. In addition, age was related to reporting lower perceived stress, health anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Lastly, age provided a significant moderation effect to the relationship between degree of identity associated with one’s creative hobby and perceived stress such that middle-aged adults with a high degree of identification with their creative hobby reported the most perceived stress while older adults with a high degree of identification with their creative hobby reported the least perceived stress. Implications for older adult’s well-being and adaptiveness to the COVID-19 pandemic will be discussed.

scholarly journals Association Between Adverse Childhood Events and Multimorbidity in a Racial and Ethnic Diverse Sample of Middle-Aged and Older Adults

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Vásquez ◽  
Ana Quiñones ◽  
Stephanie Ramirez ◽  
Tomoko Udo
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Adverse Childhood Events ◽  
Epidemiologic Survey ◽  
Adverse Childhood ◽  
History Of ◽  
Middle Aged Adults ◽  
Racial Ethnic

Abstract Background and Objectives Adverse childhood events (ACEs) have been associated with increased health risks later in life. However, it is unclear whether ACEs may be associated with multimorbidity among diverse racial/ethnic middle-aged and older adults. We evaluated whether there were racial and ethnic differences in the association between ACEs and the number of somatic and psychiatric multimorbidity in a sample of U.S. middle-aged and older adults. Research Design and Methods Data from the 2012–2013 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (N = 10,727; ≥55 years) were used to test whether the number of self-reported somatic conditions (i.e., heart disease, hypertension, stroke, diabetes, arthritis, cancer, osteoporosis, and chronic lung problems) as well as DSM-5 psychiatric disorders (i.e., depression) during the past 12 months differed by history of ACEs while stratifying by age (i.e., 55–64 or ≥65) and racial/ethnic group (i.e., non-Hispanic White [NHW; n = 7,457], non-Hispanic Black [NHB; n = 1,995], and Hispanic [n=1275]). Results The prevalence of reporting more than two somatic conditions and psychiatric disorders was 48.8% and 11.4% for those with a history of ACEs, and 41.1% and 3.3% for those without a history of ACEs. Adjusting for sociodemographic and other health risk factors, ACEs was significantly associated with greater numbers of somatic multimorbidity among racial and ethnic middle-aged adults but this was not the case for older adults. Discussion and Implications Our findings suggest that middle-aged adults with a history of ACEs are more likely to suffer from somatic and psychiatric multimorbidity, highlighting the importance of screening for ACEs in promoting healthy aging.

scholarly journals Peripheral Inflammation and Cognitive Performance in Middle-Aged Adults With and Without Type 2 Diabetes: Results From the ENBIND Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam H. Dyer ◽  
Louise McKenna ◽  
Isabella Batten ◽  
Karen Jones ◽  
Matthew Widdowson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Type 2 Diabetes ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Interaction Analysis ◽  
Peripheral Inflammation ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Tnf Α ◽  
Middle Aged Adults

Midlife Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is associated with a greater risk of dementia in later life. Peripheral inflammation and its impact on cognition is proposed as one of the pathological mechanisms mediating this link. However, studies have primarily focused on older individuals with established cognitive impairment and a long duration of T2DM. Importantly, knowledge of which individuals with midlife T2DM who are at greatest risk of later cognitive decline is lacking. We examined the cross-sectional relationship between serum levels of 8 pro-inflammatory markers (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, IL-8, MCP-1, CXCL10, IL-12p70, CRP) and performance on a detailed neuropsychological assessment battery in middle-aged adults with uncomplicated T2DM (N = 89; 52 ± 8.1 years, 47% female) and matched healthy controls (N = 50; 52 ± 8.3 years, 59% female). Linear regression was used to analyze associations between serum markers and cognitive performance in the overall cohort, followed by a T2DM∗protein concentration interaction analysis to identify any T2DM-specific effects. We observed a significant T2DM-specific association between serum TNF-α levels and scores on the Paired Associates Learning (PAL) task (β: −3.16, SE: 1.32, p = 0.01, Std. Beta: −0.94), a task with significant working memory demands previously implicated in T2DM-related cognitive dysfunction. However, this did not persist on controlling for multiple testing. We provide exploratory evidence for a significant T2DM-specific relationship between serum TNF-α and memory performance. These findings require further replication and longitudinal analysis with the aim of selecting-out individuals with midlife T2DM at risk of future cognitive decline for potential preventative interventions.

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