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The spectrum of worry in the community-dwelling elderly
- Authors:
- GOLDEN Jeannette, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 15(8), November 2011, pp.985-994.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This study investigated the prevalence and distribution of worry, its associations with quality of life and depression, based on a large sample of community-dwelling elderly. Participants included 2,136 people aged 65 to 96 recruited through general practitioners. Interviews was used to rate symptoms which were classified into five levels of severity of worry ranging from simple, non-excessive to generalised anxiety disorder (GAD). Findings revealed that 79% of participants reported worrying, 37% worrying excessively, 20% reported excessive, uncontrollable worry and 6.3% met criteria for GAD. Prevalence of all types of worry declined with age and was lower in men. Major depressive disorder was absent in those who did not worry, and had a prevalence of only 0.2% in those with non-severe worry. It had a significantly elevated prevalence at all levels of excessive worry, and a significantly higher prevalence in those with GAD. All levels of excessive worry were associated with reduced quality of life.
Loneliness, social support networks, mood and wellbeing in community-dwelling elderly
- Authors:
- GOLDEN Jeannette, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 24(7), July 2009, pp.694-700.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Both loneliness and social networks have been linked with mood and wellbeing. However, few studies have examined these factors simultaneously in community-dwelling participants. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between social network, loneliness, depression, anxiety and quality of life in community dwelling older people living in Dublin. One thousand two hundred and ninety-nine people aged 65 and over, recruited through primary care practices, were interviewed in their own homes using the GMS-AGECAT. Social network was assessed using Wenger's typology. 35% of participants were lonely, with 9% describing it as painful and 6% as intrusive. Similarly, 34% had a non-integrated social network. However, the two constructs were distinct: 32% of participants with an integrated social network reported being lonely. Loneliness was higher in women, the widowed and those with physical disability and increased with age, but when age-related variables were controlled for this association was non-significant. Wellbeing, depressed mood and hopelessness were all independently associated with both loneliness and non-integrated social network. In particular, loneliness explained the excess risk of depression in the widowed. The population attributable risk (PAR) associated with loneliness was 61%, compared with 19% for non-integrated social network. Taken together they had a PAR of 70%. Loneliness and social networks both independently affect mood and wellbeing in the elderly, underlying a very significant proportion of depressed mood.