scholarly journals Worry and Depression in the Old and Young: Differences and Mediating Factors

2014 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 279-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucy Armstrong ◽  
Viviana M. Wuthrich ◽  
Ashleigh Knight ◽  
Richard Joiner
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
Negative Thinking ◽  
And Coping ◽  
Age Range

Objective: This study examined whether differences in habitual negative self-thinking and coping strategies might contribute to the age differences in worry and depression. Method: 60 undergraduate students (age range: 18–24 years, M = 19.10, SD = 1.3) and 45 community-dwelling older adults (age range: 60–89 years, M = 73.5, SD = 7.5) participated. Participants completed self-report measures of worry, depression, negative self-thinking, and coping styles. Results: We replicated previous findings that older adults were less worried and less depressed than younger adults. Older adults also reported engaging in less habitual negative thinking and using more problem solving as a coping strategy than younger adults. Furthermore, negative self-thinking and problem-solving skills were found to partially mediate age differences in worry and fully mediate depression scores. Conclusions: These results suggest that habitual negative thinking and problem-solving skills play a role in explaining the lower rates of worry and depression in older populations.

Age Differences in Attachment Orientations among Younger and Older Adults: Evidence from Two Self-Report Measures of Attachment

2009 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel L. Segal ◽  
Tracy N. Needham ◽  
Frederick L. Coolidge
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Convergent Validity ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
Preoccupied Attachment

The attachment patterns of younger and older adults were studied using two-dimensional self-report measures of adult attachment. Community-dwelling younger ( n = 144, M = 22.5 years, SD = 3.6) and older ( n = 106, M = 68.6 years, SD = 8.3) adults completed the Measure of Attachment Qualities (MAQ; Carver, 1997) and the Relationship Style Questionnaire (RSQ; Griffin & Bartholomew, 1994). Although the MAQ and RSQ are believed to be measuring similar constructs, they are derived from different theoretical perspectives. Correlations between the two measures were in the expected directions proving modest evidence for their convergent validity. Regarding cross-sectional results, as was expected, older adults scored lower than younger adults on the ambivalent-worry attachment scale of the MAQ and the preoccupied attachment scale of the RSQ. There were no age differences regarding secure, avoidant, and dismissing attachment. It appears that older adults experience anxious types of attachment less frequently than younger adults. Although these results primarily speak to age differences and possible cohort effects, they also provide some support for socioemotional selectivity theory and its hypothesized improved relationships in later life.

scholarly journals Age differences in aperiodic neural activity measured with resting EEG

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley Merkin ◽  
Sabrina Sghirripa ◽  
Lynton Graetz ◽  
Ashleigh E. Smith ◽  
Brenton Hordacre ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Power Spectra ◽  
Oscillatory Activity ◽  
Large Sample Size ◽  
Alpha Power ◽  
Eeg Signal ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Alpha Frequency ◽  
Age Range

AbstractPrevious research using electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) has shown that neural oscillatory activity within the alpha band (8-12 Hz) becomes slower and lower in amplitude with advanced age. However, most studies have focused on quantifying age-related differences in periodic oscillatory activity with little consideration of the influence of aperiodic activity on these measures. The aim of this study was to investigate age differences in aperiodic activity inherent in the resting EEG signal. We assessed aperiodic activity in 85 healthy younger adults (mean age: 22.2 years, SD: 3.9, age range: 18–35, 37 male) and 92 healthy older adults (mean age: 66.1 years, SD: 8.2, age range 50–86, 53 male) by fitting the 1/f-like background activity evident in EEG power spectra using the fitting oscillations & one over f (FOOOF) toolbox. Across the scalp, the aperiodic exponent and offset were smaller in older compared to younger participants, reflecting a flatter 1/f-like slope and a downward broadband shift in the power spectra with age. Before correcting for aperiodic activity, older adults showed slower peak alpha frequency and reduced peak alpha power relative to younger adults. After correcting for aperiodic activity, peak alpha frequency remained slower in older adults; however, peak alpha power no longer differed statistically between age groups. The large sample size utilized in this study, as well as the depth of analysis, provides further evidence that the aperiodic component of the resting EEG signal is altered with aging and should be considered when investigating neural oscillatory activity.

scholarly journals Reactive, Agentic, Apathetic, or Challenged? Aging, Emotion, and Coping During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathaniel A Young ◽  
Christian E Waugh ◽  
Alyssa R Minton ◽  
Susan T Charles ◽  
Claudia M Haase ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Emotional Experiences ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
And Coping ◽  
Design And Methods

Abstract Background and Objectives Advanced age is generally associated with improved emotional well-being, but the COVID-19 pandemic unleashed a global stressor that gravely threatened the physical well-being and ostensibly challenged the emotional well-being of older adults disproportionately. The current study investigated differences in emotional experiences and coping strategies between younger and older adults during the pandemic, and whether these differences were accounted for by age differences in appraisal of the pandemic. Research Design and Methods We asked younger (n = 181) and older adult (n = 176) participants to report their stress, appraisals the pandemic, emotions, and the ways in which they were coping with the pandemic. Results Results indicated that older adults experienced less stress and less negative affect and used greater problem-focused coping and less avoidant coping in response to the pandemic than younger adults. Further, age differences in affect and coping were partially accounted for by age differences in appraisals of the pandemic. Discussion and Implications Despite their objectively higher risk of illness and death due to the pandemic, older adults experienced less negative affect and used more agentic coping strategies than younger adults.

Which Phish Is on the Hook? Phishing Vulnerability for Older Versus Younger Adults

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
pp. 704-717 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dawn M. Sarno ◽  
Joanna E. Lewis ◽  
Corey J. Bohil ◽  
Mark B. Neider
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Time Pressure ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Unlimited Time ◽  
Task Conditions ◽  
The Cost

ObjectiveTo determine if there are age-related differences in phishing vulnerability and if those differences exist under various task conditions (e.g., framing and time pressure).BackgroundPrevious research suggests that older adults may be a vulnerable population to phishing attacks. Most research exploring age differences has used limiting designs, including retrospective self-report measures and restricted email sets.MethodThe present studies explored how older and younger adults classify a diverse sample of 100 legitimate and phishing emails. In Experiment 1, participants rated the emails as either spam or not spam. Experiment 2 explored how framing would alter the results when participants rated emails as safe or not safe. In Experiment 3, participants performed the same task as Experiment 1, but were put under time pressure.ResultsNo age differences were observed in overall classification accuracy across the three experiments, rather all participants exhibited poor performance (20%–30% errors). Older adults took significantly longer to make classifications and were more liberal in classifying emails as spam or not safe. Time pressure seemed to remove this bias but did not influence overall accuracy.ConclusionOlder adults appear to be more cautious when classifying emails. However, being extra careful may come at the cost of classification speed and does not seem to improve accuracy.ApplicationAge demographics should be considered in the implementation of a cyber-training methodology. Younger adults may be less vigilant against cyber threats than initially predicted; older adults might be less prone to deception when given unlimited time to respond.

Relation Between Depression Symptoms and Suicide Risk in Adults and Older Adults: A Brief Report

2020 ◽  
pp. 073346482097084
Author(s):  
Ruifeng Cui ◽  
Amy Fiske
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Suicide Risk ◽  
Somatic Symptoms ◽  
The United States ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Risk Factors For Suicide

Depression symptoms are key risk factors for suicide; however, older adults differ from younger adults in types of depression symptoms experienced and thus their risk factors for suicide. The present brief report investigated relations between different symptoms of depression and suicide risk and whether these relations are moderated by age. Participants were 944 community-dwelling adults ( N = 512, M = 39) and older adults ( N = 432, M = 66) from the United States recruited through Mechanical Turk. Participants completed self-report measures on depression symptoms and suicide risk. Age was found to moderate the relation between cognitive-affective and somatic symptoms and suicide risk. Younger age exacerbated the negative effects of these symptoms on suicide risk. The study is the first to investigate whether older adults differed from younger adults in the association between types of depression symptoms and suicide risk and found that the risk posed by cognitive-affective and somatic symptoms was greater for younger adults.

scholarly journals MOBILITY IN COMMUNITY DWELLING OLDER ADULTS: PREDICTING SUCCESSFUL MOBILITY USING AN INSTRUMENTED BATTERY OF NOVEL MEASURES

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
L. McInnes ◽  
E. Jones ◽  
L. Rochester ◽  
S. Lord ◽  
S.F.M. Chastin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Social Variables ◽  
Outdoor Activity ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Total Distance ◽  
Time Out ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

Mobility in older adults is associated with better quality of life. However, evidence suggests that older people spend less time out-of-home than younger adults. Traditional methods for assessing mobility have serious limitations. Wearable technologies provide the possibility of objectively assessing mobility over extended periods enabling better estimates of levels of mobility to be made and possible predictors to be explored. Eighty-six community dwelling older adults (mean age 79.8 years) had their mobility assessed for one week using GPS, accelerometry and self-report. Outcomes were: number of steps, time spent in dynamic outdoor activity, total distance travelled and total number of journeys made over the week. Assessments were also made of personal, cognitive, psychological, physical and social variables. Four regression models were calculated (one for each outcome). The models predicted 32 to 43% of the variance in levels of mobility. The ability to balance on one leg significantly predicted all four outcomes. In addition, cognitive ability predicted number of journeys made per week and time spent engaged in dynamic outdoor activity, and age significantly predicted total distance travelled. Overall estimates of mobility indicated step counts that were similar to those shown by previous research but distances travelled, measured by GPS, were lower. These findings suggest that mobility in this sample of older adults is predicted by the ability to balance on one leg. Possible interventions to improve out-of-home mobility could target balance. The fact that participants travelled shorter distances than those reported in previous studies is interesting since this high-functioning subgroup would be expected to demonstrate the highest levels.

scholarly journals Age Differences in Emotion and Coping During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 546-546
Author(s):  
Nathaniel Young ◽  
Alyssa Minton ◽  
Joseph Mikels
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Emotional Experience ◽  
Human Species ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
And Coping ◽  
Appraisal Processes

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic unleashed a relentless stressor on the human species with numerous deadly risks. These risks have been disproportionately threatening to the health and wellbeing of older adults. Since April 2020, we have been studying how the pandemic has affected the emotional experiences of older and younger adults broadly in several studies. For instance, in one study, we found that older adults (N=176) experienced fewer negative emotions and coped with greater levels of agency than younger adults (N=181). In additional work, we have been examining how these age differences differ for older workers versus retirees as well as in minority populations. This work broadly supports and illuminates our recent theoretical framework that focuses on how evaluative appraisal processes underlie and contribute to age differences in emotional experience generally, but especially in the context of the stress experienced during a global pandemic.

Talk or Walk? Gait Speed over Self-Report in Association with Cognitive Speed in Healthy Older Adults

GeroPsych ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-52
Author(s):  
Matthew C. Costello ◽  
Shane J. Sizemore ◽  
Kimberly E. O’Brien ◽  
Lydia K. Manning
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Gait Speed ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Subjective Report ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Relative Value ◽  
Cognitive Speed ◽  
Age Range

Abstract. This study explores the relative value of both subjectively reported cognitive speed and gait speed in association with objectively derived cognitive speed. It also explores how these factors are affected by psychological and physical well-being. A group of 90 cognitively healthy older adults ( M = 73.38, SD = 8.06 years, range = 60–89 years) were tested in a three-task cognitive battery to determine objective cognitive speed as well as measures of gait speed, well-being, and subjective cognitive speed. Analyses indicated that gait speed was associated with objective cognitive speed to a greater degree than was subjective report, the latter being more closely related to well-being than to objective cognitive speed. These results were largely invariant across the 30-year age range of our older adult sample.

Video Games and Emotion Regulation

GeroPsych ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 205-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn L. Ossenfort ◽  
Derek M. Isaacowitz
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Video Games ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Interactive Media ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Media Usage ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
Media Preferences

Abstract. Research on age differences in media usage has shown that older adults are more likely than younger adults to select positive emotional content. Research on emotional aging has examined whether older adults also seek out positivity in the everyday situations they choose, resulting so far in mixed results. We investigated the emotional choices of different age groups using video games as a more interactive type of affect-laden stimuli. Participants made multiple selections from a group of positive and negative games. Results showed that older adults selected the more positive games, but also reported feeling worse after playing them. Results supplement the literature on positivity in situation selection as well as on older adults’ interactive media preferences.

scholarly journals Meaning of Aging, Gerotranscendence, and Successful Aging in Older Adults With Chronic Health Conditions

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 423-423
Author(s):  
Meredith Troutman-Jordan
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Life Events ◽  
Successful Aging ◽  
Stressful Events ◽  
Functional Health ◽  
Major Influence ◽  
Unexpected Death ◽  
Major Life ◽  
Problem Solving Skills

Abstract Aging presents change in the form of opportunities and challenges, from common physical alterations, to major life events. Perception of such events is greatly shaped by one’s mental health, and is a major influence on gerotranscendence, a positive kind of aging involving redefinition of self, relationships, and proposed to be a precursor to successful aging. A mixed-methods cross-sectional descriptive design was used to study 50 older adults. Life Events Checklist, Gerotranscendence Scale, Herth Hope Index, and Successful Aging Inventory were administered. Mean participant age was 70.78 years; there were 9 males (18%), 41 females (82%), 13 were Black (26%), and 37 were White (74%). Participants reported a number of stressful events, most frequently transportation accidents, followed by other very stressful events or experiences, and sudden unexpected death of someone close. Gerotranscendence scores ranged from 0-10 (µ 6.88, a moderate score). Successful aging scores ranged from 40-79 (µ 62.33, a moderate score). A sub-sample of 6 participants engaged in semi-structured interviews, which were transcribed verbatim and subject to content analysis. Faith, displaced longing, temporal anticipation, proactive problem-solving/coping, and concern for future generations were emergent qualitative themes. Findings highlight opportunities for providers from multiple disciplines to target risks and possibilities for aging successfully and to promote hope, optimism, problem-solving skills, and gerotranscendence in all older adults, regardless of physical or functional health status.

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