Search results for ‘Subject term:"older people"’ Sort:
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Against modernism
- Author:
- WILSON Gail
- Journal article citation:
- Generations Review, 6(4), December 1996, pp.8-9.
- Publisher:
- British Society of Gerontology
Modernity can be defined as a way of organising knowledge which treats rationality and scientific method as the ultimate authorities. Demography and economics are part of modernity. However, the knowledge they offer about ageing is usually presented in simplistic and inaccurate forms. In the light of this the author argues against a modernist approach.
Religious attendance and depressive symptoms among community dwelling elderly in Taiwan
- Authors:
- HAHN Cheng-Yi, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 19(12), December 2004, pp.1148-1154.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The purpose of this study was to investigate the unique association between religious attendance and the prevalence of depressive symptoms among community dwelling elderly persons. Employing a multilevel stratified sampling strategy, a total of 1000 subjects, aged 65-74 and living in Taiwan, were recruited for this interview survey during the year 2001. Aside from background information, the Taiwanese Depression Questionnaire (TDQ) and the Neighborhood Quality Index were used to assess degree of depression and its correlates. Altogether, 863 subjects (age, M = 69.4, SD = 2.7) had complete data for analysis; 215 (24.8%) had had depressive symptoms in the past week. Among them, those who were female, (OR = 2.17, 95% CI = 1.59-2.97), illiterate(OR = 2.42, 95% CI = 1.76-3.33), unemployed (OR = 1.80, 95% CI = 1.24-2.61), or not married (OR = 1.71, 95% CI = 1.22-2.38), or those who had less family income (OR = 1.84, 95% CI = 1.24-2.73), physical illness (OR = 2.68, 95% CI = 1.86-3.86), or less social capital (OR = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.88-0.94), were at higher risk of being depressed. Moreover, those (95.2% with religious belief ) who had not attended religious activities during the past 6 months were at higher risk of being depressed than those (100% with religious belief ) who had (OR = 2.63, 95% CI = 1.41-4.91). Multivariate logistic regression disclosed that those never attending religious activities were 2.70 times more likely to be depressed when compared to those who had, after taking into consideration sociodemographics and social capital.
The criterion validity of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) in a sample of self-referred elders with depressive symptomatology
- Authors:
- HARINGSMA R., et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 19(6), June 2004, pp.558-563.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The criterion validity of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale (CES-D) was assessed in a group of elderly Dutch community-residents who were self-referred to a prevention programme for depression. Paper-and-pencil administration of the CES-D to 318 elders (55-85 years). Criterion validity was evaluated with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), a clinical diagnostic interview based on DSM-IV. Sensitivity and specificity for various cut-off scores of CES-D were compared with the DSM-IV major depressive disorder (MDD) and with clinically relevant depression (CRD), a composite diagnosis of MDD, subthreshold depression or dysthymia. Furthermore the characteristics of true versus false positives were analyzed. For MDD, the optimal cut-off score was 25, (sensitivity 85%, specificity 64%, and positive predicted value of 63%). For CRD, the optimal cut-off was 22 (sensitivity 84%, specificity 60%, and positive predicted value 77%). True positives, MDD and CRD, reported significantly more anxiety symptomatology and more co-morbid anxiety disorders, false positives reported more previous depressive episodes. The criterion validity of the CES-D for MDD and CRD was satisfactory in this semi-clinical sample of elders. Subjects scoring 25 constitute a target group for further diagnostic assessment in order to determine appropriate treatment.
Sampling minority ethnic older people In Britain
- Author:
- SIN Chih Hoong
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 24(2), March 2004, pp.257-277,.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
The study of minority ethnic older people in Britain is hampered by the lack of a reliable sampling frame. There are few national studies and most research projects are small and involve localised samples. The infrastructure for doing research with such population groups is poorly set up. This article attempts to address the needs of practitioners by reviewing the use of common sampling frames and approaches, pointing out caveats, and highlighting potential. More recent and innovative sampling approaches are also discussed. The article deals with issues of bias, reliability, perspective and geography. Recommendations for improved practice include being more transparent in reporting the derivation of samples, making more efficient use of existing data sets, better ways of working with community organisations as well as more effective collaborative research. It is also argued that various authorities and funding bodies should increase investment in this area, especially given the projected absolute and proportionate increases in minority ethnic older people in Britain.
Screening for late life depression: cut-off scores for the Geriatric Depression Scale and the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia among Japanese subjects
- Authors:
- SCHREINER Andrea S., et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 18(6), June 2003, pp.498-505.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Proper screening of depression among older adults depends on accurate cut-off scores. Recent articles have recommended the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD) for this screening. However, there has been no investigation of the sensitivity and specificity of either scale using Japanese subjects. The purpose of the present study was to identify appropriate GDS and CSDD cut-offs for Japanese older adults. The GDS and the CSDD were interview-administered to nondepressed Japanese older adults (n = 74) and to Japanese older adults with a SCID-IV diagnosis of major or minor depression (n = 37). Depressed subjects were also administered the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS). Data were also collected on demographic variables, mental status, health status, and medication use. ROC curve analysis identified a cut-off score of 6 for the GDS which had a sensitivity of 0.973, a specificity of 0.959, a False Positive Rate (FPR) of 0.894, and a False Negative Rate (FNR) of 0. A cutoff score of 5 for the CSDD yielded a sensitivity of 1, a specificity of 0.919, a FPR of 0.942, and a FNR of 0. Comparisons indicate current HDRS cut-offs may overlook subthreshold depression. The GDS cut-off score identified among Japanese subjects was the same as that reported for Western subjects. Due to the substantial prevalence of psychiatric disorders found in false-negative subjects, the above cut-off scores were chosen to optimize the potential for true positives. These scores are recommended for alerting physicians and other caregivers as to when more intensive depression evaluation is needed.
Prevalence and correlates of depression in Chinese oldest-old
- Authors:
- CHOU Kee-Lee, CHI Iris
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 20(1), January 2005, pp.41-50.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
In Hong Kong, the aged population will be increased rapidly in the coming three decades and the oldest-old (aged 80 and above) is the fastest growing age group. In this paper, we examined the prevalence rate and the correlates of depression for the oldest-old. This article analyzes cross-sectional data collected from a representative community sample of 1 903 Chinese elderly people aged 60 or above in Hong Kong. Respondents were interviewed in face-to-face format with structural questionnaire. Using 8 as the cut-off point for the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale, we found that the prevalence rate was greater for the oldest-old (31.1% ± 9.7%) than for the young-old (aged between 60 and 69; 19.1% ± 2.8%) and the old-old (aged 70 and 79; 22.4% ± 4.2%) groups. Logistic regression analyses revealed that financial strain, poor self-rated health, loneliness, and heart disease were significantly and positively related to depression in the oldest-old after gender, marital status, education, living arrangement, functional disability, sensory impairment, cognitive ability, and the presence of eight medical conditions were controlled. Interestingly, financial strain, self-rated health, and loneliness were found to be significant correlates of depression in the young-old and the old-old groups, too. Depression is a serious problem for the oldest-old but a number of correlates are consistently identified in the oldest-old, as well as the two other age groups in the elderly population. Therefore, aged care service practitioners must take these correlates into consideration in their prevention and treatment for depression for all different age groups in the aged.
Measuring Alzheimer's disease progression with transition probabilities in the Taiwanese population
- Authors:
- FUH Jong-Ling, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 19(3), March 2004, pp.266-270.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The transition probability of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is defined as the likelihood that the disease progresses from one stage to another in a given time period. The purpose was to estimate the separate stage-to-stage and stage-to-death transition probabilities for Taiwanese patients with AD and to evaluate the hazard ratios of age, sex, behavioral symptoms, and medications on disease progression. The authors examined data (severity of dementia, hallucinations or delusions, use of cholinesterase inhibitors [CEIs], survival) in 365 patients with probable AD at baseline and at follow-Gup (mean ± SD 29 ± 17 months, range 3-109 months). Modified survival analysis revealed that transition probabilities of Taiwanese patients were similar to those of Western patients. The probability of dementia remaining at the same stage was higher in patients taking CEIs than in other. Men had a higher probability of dying in the mild stage. Transition probabilities can be used to measure AD progression. CEIs used to treat AD might alter the disease course.
Religiosity and mental health in southern, community-dwelling older adults
- Authors:
- PARKER M., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 7(5), September 2003, pp.390-397.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This study considers potential interaction effects of three measures of religiosity, organized (OR), non-organized (NOR), and intrinsic religiosity (IR), on depression and general mental health, controlling for socio-demographic characteristics and mobility. In-home interviews were conducted among a stratified random sample of Medicare beneficiaries from five central Alabama counties (the University of Alabama at Birmingham Study of Aging). Those who were high on all three dimensions of religiosity reported having fewer symptoms of depression and better mental health than did those who were low on all three dimensions of religiosity. Subjects who scored high on OR reported lower levels of depression (F (1, 981) 1/4 3.97, p<0.05). Neither IR nor NOR had salutary effects on the measure of depression nor on the general measure of mental health. The interpretation of the relationships of religiosity with the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and the general mental health (Mental Component Score of the SF-12; MCS) measures was complicated by the presence of three way interactions (F (1, 981) 1/4 9.02, p<0.01 and F (1, 981) 1/4 5.46, p<0.05, for GDS and MCS respectively). The presence of interaction effects between the different dimensions of religiosity and mental health affirms the importance of remaining sensitive to the multidimensional nature of religiousness and its relationships with measures of mental health.
Loneliness, social isolation and living alone in later life
- Author:
- ESRC GROWING OLDER PROGRAMME
- Publisher:
- University of Sheffield. Department of Sociological Studies
- Publication year:
- 2003
- Pagination:
- 4p.
- Place of publication:
- Sheffield
A critical element in the quality of life of older people is social participation and engagement. This project, using a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches, investigated three key dimensions of social participation: loneliness, isolation and living alone in later life. The authors demonstrate that, overall, only a minority of older people are lonely (7 per cent) or isolated (11-17 per cent) and that this has shown little change in the past 50 years. We also show that while these concepts are interrelated they are not the same. Our data demonstrate the dynamic nature of loneliness and isolation across the lifecourse and the varying pathways into loneliness in later life. The report identifies two distinct groups: those for whom loneliness is a continuation of previous experiences and those for whom it is a 'novel' experience. In developing intervention to respond to loneliness and isolation we need to respond to the varying types and pathways into loneliness and isolation in later life.
Prevalence of dementia in a semi-urban population in Sri Lanka: report from a regional survey
- Authors:
- DE SIVA H. A., GUNATILAKE S.B., SMITH A. D.
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 18(8), August 2003, pp.711-715.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The prevalence of dementia in Sri Lanka, which has a rapidly ageing population, is unknown. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other dementias in a semi-urban elderly Sinhala-speaking population in Ragama, Sri Lanka. The study was conducted in two phases. Phase I: After informed consent 703 subjects aged 65 years from the study area (population 15 828) were screened for cognitive impairment using the Sinhalese Mini Mental State Examination. Subjects scoring 17 were regarded as suspected dementia cases. Phase II: All subjects who screened positive in phase I were included in phase II for detailed evaluation for dementia according DSM IV and NINCDS-ADRDA criteria which included structured neuropsychiatric assessment, laboratory investigations, an axial CT scan of the brain and an informant interview. n the study sample, 61% were female and 86% were between 65-75 years. 42 subjects screened positive in phase I. Of these, 28 subjects were diagnosed as having dementia, giving an overall prevalence rate of 3.98% (95% Confidence Intervals (CI) =2.6-5.7%). Of these, 20 (71.4%) had probable AD, four had vascular dementia (14.3%), two had mixed (vascular and AD) dementia (7.1%), one had Lewy body dementia, and one had dementia due to syphilis. Greater age, illiteracy and female gender were associated with higher prevalence of dementia. Comparison with other community studies performed in North India suggests that dementia prevalence is higher in Sri Lanka. This may be due to regional differences in disease incidence.