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Effect of anxiety on memory for emotional information in older adults
- Authors:
- HERRERA Sara, MONTORIO Ignacio, CABRERA Isabel
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 21(4), 2017, pp.362-368.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Background: Several studies have shown that anxiety is associated with a better memory of negative events. However, this anxiety-related memory bias has not been studied in the elderly, in which there is a preferential processing of positive information. Objectives: To study the effect of anxiety in a recognition task and an autobiographical memory task in 102 older adults with high and low levels of trait anxiety. Method: Negative, positive and neutral pictures were used in the recognition task. In the autobiographical memory task, memories of the participants’ lives were recorded, how they felt when thinking about them, and the personal relevance of these memories. Results: In the recognition task, no anxiety-related bias was found toward negative information. Individuals with high trait anxiety were found to remember less positive pictures than those with low trait anxiety. In the autobiographical memory task, both groups remembered negative and positive events equally. However, people with high trait anxiety remembered life experiences with more negative emotions, especially when remembering negative events. Individuals with low trait anxiety tended to feel more positive emotions when remembering their life experiences and most of these referred to feeling positive emotions when remembering negative events. Conclusions: Older adults with anxiety tend to recognise less positive information and to present more negative emotions when remembering life events; while individuals without anxiety have a more positive experience of negative memories. (Edited publisher abstract)
The long-term consequences of war: the experience of World War II
- Authors:
- HUNT N., ROBBINS I.
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 5(2), May 2001, pp.183-190.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Seven hundred and thirty-one World War II and Korean War veterans completed a questionnaire about their experiences and their current psychological reactions to the war. Nineteen percent scored above the cut-off points for both the General Health Questionnaire and the Impact of Event Scale, demonstrating that, even over 50 years after the event, many veterans still experience problems relating to their war experiences. Psychological distress was in part directly related to particular experiences, but intrusion and avoidance both played an important role as mediating variables. Other factors, such as prisoner of war (POW) status, type of service, rank, and illness were also considered. The findings indicate that the effects of a traumatic experience such as war can persist into later life.
A preliminary study of dream-telling among mentally healthy elderly: no adverse effects on life or sleep quality
- Authors:
- FUNKHOUSER Arthur T., et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 15(10), October 2000, pp.917-930.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
While there have been several studies about dreams and dreaming among the elderly, there does not seem to have been any study of the effects of regular dream-telling (without interpretation). Listening to dreams could become a regular part of caring for the elderly and infirm. The effects of regular dream-telling in mentally healthy elderly clinical research volunteers were measured on several variables using standardized testing and self-report: life satisfaction, intrapsychic boundaries, sleep quality, sleep duration, dream recall, dream tone, and dream epoch, and were compared with two control groups. The six variables showed no significant differences among the three groups, indicating that dream-telling produced no adverse effects. The present findings seem to imply that dream-telling is not dangerous for mentally healthy individuals and may thus serve as a baseline for future studies involving geriatric patients with mental disorders or elderly undergoing significant life-events, e.g., bereavement or retirement, using the method of regular dream-telling.
Decline across different domains of cognitive function in normal ageing: results of a longitudinal population based study using CAMCOG
- Authors:
- CULLUM Sarah, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 15(9), September 2000, pp.853-862.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Dementia is an important cause of disability in the elderly. There is evidence that cognitive impairment in dementia is on a continuum with cognitive impairment in the non-demented elderly. Describes the change in different domains of cognitive function over 4 years in a population based sample of non-demented elderly people, and to investigate the effect of sociodemographic variables and baseline cognitive function on change in each of the cognitive domains. Respondents from two group general practice lists were interviewed using the Cambridge Cognitive Examination (CAMCOG).
Perspectives: gently into the night?
- Author:
- TAYLOR Alison
- Journal article citation:
- Community Care, 10.6.99, 1999, p.14.
- Publisher:
- Reed Business Information
Looks at the creeping destruction of what we understand as "self", inherent in dementia, and asks how the sufferer views the disease's progression.
A study to examine the relationship of the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS) to other tests of cognition and function
- Authors:
- ROBINSON Susanna E., FISHER Anne G.
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 59(6), June 1996, pp.260-263.
- Publisher:
- Sage
In this study, the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills AMPS, observational assessment of functional ability, was compared with other tests of function and cognition, namely the Functional Independence Measure FIM, the CAMCOG (the cognitive component of the CAMDEX Cambridge Examination for Mental Status in the Elderly) and the Mini-Mental State Examination MMSE. The subjects were people with diagnosed dementia or mild memory impairment. The results were as expected, revealing significant relationships between AMPS process ability and the CAMCOG, the MMSE and the FIM social/cognition scale, and between AMPS motor ability and the FIM physical scale. This supported the validity of the AMPS as an evaluation of the interaction between cognitive impairments and disability in complex activities of daily living.
A program of positive intervention in the elderly: memories, gratitude and forgiveness
- Authors:
- RAMIREZ Encarncion, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 18,(4) 2014, pp.463-470.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Objective: The main goal of this study has been to increase the quality of life in people of over 60 years through a positive psychology intervention.Method: The employed a programme which consists of training based on autobiographical memory, forgiveness and gratitude. The sample consisted of 46 participants aged 60–93 years. State and trait anxiety, depression, general memory, specific memories, life satisfaction and subjective happiness were measured.Results: The results revealed that participants who followed the programme (experimental group) showed a significant decrease in state anxiety and depression as well as an increase in specific memories, life satisfaction and subjective happiness, compared with the placebo group.Conclusion: The programme offers promising results and provides new evidence for the effectiveness of positive interventions in the field of psychogerontology, helping increase subjective well-being and quality of life in older adults by focusing interventions on the enhancement of personal and social resources for being happy. (Edited publisher abstract)
Attitudes about aging well among a diverse group of older Americans: implications for promoting cognitive health
- Authors:
- LADITKA Sarah B., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 49(S1), June 2009, pp.S30-S39.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Forty-two focus groups were conducted with older adults living in the community in the United States (N = 396; White, African American, American Indian, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Hispanic). Participant descriptions of "someone who you think is aging well" were analyzed. Constant comparison methods examined themes by race/ethnicity. There were notable race/ethnicity differences in perceptions of aging well. Compared with other racial/ethnic groups Chinese participants were more likely to emphasize relationships between mental outlook and physical abilities, Vietnamese participants were less likely to emphasize independent living. American Indians did not relate aging well to diet or physical activity. Important themes that emerged about aging well for all racial/ethnic groups were as follows: living to advanced age, having good physical health, having a positive mental outlook, being cognitively alert, having a good memory, and being socially involved. Implications: To promote cognitive health among diverse populations, communication strategies should focus on shared perceptions of aging well, such as living to an advanced age with intact cognitive function, having a positive attitude, and being mobile. Health promotions may also create a range of culturally sensitive messages, targeted to views that are more salient among some racial/ethnic groups.
A memory like clockwork: accounts of living through dementia
- Author:
- GILLIES Brenda
- Journal article citation:
- Generations Review, 12(1), April 2002, pp.19-20.
- Publisher:
- British Society of Gerontology
Reports on a research study to explore the way in which people with dementia experience the psychological and social consequences of the disease.
Shadow of the past
- Author:
- VALIOS Natalie
- Journal article citation:
- Community Care, 21.3.02, 2002, pp.34-35.
- Publisher:
- Reed Business Information
Reminiscence work is widely used to alleviate the symptoms of memory loss in older people, but talking about the past can trigger recollections of events that people would prefer to forget, such as wartime experiences, death and abuse.