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| 2. |
- Bratt, Anna S., 1969-, et al.
(författare)
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Self-compassion in old age : confirmatory factor analysis of the 6-factor model and the internal consistency of the Self-compassion scale-short form
- 2020
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Ingår i: Aging & Mental Health. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1360-7863 .- 1364-6915. ; 24:4, s. 642-648
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: Self-compassion is a psychological construct associated with self-acceptance and coping with the aging process. The Self-Compassion Scale (SCS), in both long and short forms, is the most widely used measure of self-compassion. Studies on the psychometric properties of the short form (SCS-SF) are scarce. The aim of this study was to translate into Swedish and test the psychometric properties of the SCS-SF. Another aim was to investigate whether self-compassion differs by age and gender in older adults.Method: We tested the Swedish SCS-SF in a sample of 594 randomly selected older adults, aged 66 to 102 years, for internal consistency, construct validity, and factor structure.Results: The results showed the SCS-SF had acceptable internal consistency in the total sample (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.68) and somewhat higher (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.76) in the youngest old (age 66 years). The six-factor structure found in the original study was not observed in confirmatory factor analyses in our older sample. Exploratory factor analyses showed that a two-factor solution, formed by the positive and negative components had the best fit; however, only the negative component had good internal consistency.Conclusion: Overall, the SCS-SF seemed to have insufficient reliability in this sample of older adults and further studies are needed to see whether new instruments are needed for this population. Self-compassion was generally higher in men than women, but did not differ by age in this sample of older adults.
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| 3. |
- Bränsvik, Vanja, et al.
(författare)
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Mortality in patients with behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia : a registry-based study
- 2021
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Ingår i: Aging & Mental Health. - : Routledge. - 1360-7863 .- 1364-6915. ; 25:6, s. 1101-1109
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: Behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are common in patients with dementia. In the elderly population, comorbidities frequently coexist with dementia and mortality in dementia is high. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of BPSD on mortality in severe dementia.Methods: This study of 11,448 individuals was based on linked information from the Swedish BPSD registry, the National Patient Register and the Cause of Death register. BPSD was assessed with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). Cox proportional hazards regressions were performed for survival analysis. To study different degrees of BPSD, data was categorized into groups: no (NPI, 0 points), mild (NPI, 1-3 points on >= 1 item), moderate (NPI, 4-8 points on >= 1 item) and severe (NPI, 9-12 points on >= 1 item) BPSD based on the highest score on any of the BPSD assessed (NPI items).Results: The presence of moderate or severe BPSD was associated with a stepwise increased risk of mortality (hazard ratio (HR), 1.31; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.08-1.60 and HR 1.74; 95% CI 1.44-2.12, respectively) compared with individuals with no BPSD. In addition, there was an association between total NPI score and mortality (HR 1.01; 95% CI 1.007-1.010). The results remained significant after multivariable adjustment for age, sex, dementia diagnosis, medication, previous myocardial infarction, hip fracture and stroke.Conclusions: The results show a stepwise increase in mortality risk with increased BPSD, highlighting the importance of adequate management of BPSD to reduce mortality in dementia.
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| 4. |
- Castelli Dransart, Dolores Angela, et al.
(författare)
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A systematic review of older adults’ request for or attitude toward euthanasia or assisted-suicide
- 2021
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Ingår i: Aging & Mental Health. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1360-7863 .- 1364-6915. ; 25:3, s. 420-430
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: Prevalence rates of death by euthanasia (EUT) and physician-assisted suicide (PAS) have increased among older adults, and public debates on these practices are still taking place. In this context, it seemed important to conduct a systematic review of the predictors (demographic, physical health, psychological, social, quality of life, religious, or existential) associated with attitudes toward, wishes and requests for, as well as death by EUT/PAS among individuals aged 60years and over.Method: The search for quantitative studies in PsycINFO and MEDLINE databases was conducted three times from February 2016 until April 2018. Articles of probable relevance (n=327) were assessed for eligibility. Studies that only presented descriptive data (n=306) were excluded.Results: This review identified 21 studies with predictive analyses, but in only 4 did older adults face actual end-of-life decisions. Most studies (17) investigated attitudes toward EUT/PAS (9 through hypothetical scenarios). Younger age, lower religiosity, higher education, and higher socio-economic status were the most consistent predictors of endorsement of EUT/PAS. Findings were heterogeneous with regard to physical health, psychological, and social factors. Findings were difficult to compare across studies because of the variety of sample characteristics and outcomes measures.Conclusion: Future studies should adopt common and explicit definitions of EUT/PAS, as well as research designs (e.g. mixed longitudinal) that allow for better consideration of personal, social, and cultural factors, and their interplay, on EUT/PAS decisions.
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| 5. |
- Cecchini, Valeria, et al.
(författare)
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Does losing family members in midlife matter for late-life mental and cognitive health? A longitudinal study of older Swedes spanning 30 years
- 2024
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Ingår i: Aging & Mental Health. - 1360-7863 .- 1364-6915.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: Mental and cognitive health is crucial to ensure well-being in older age. However, prolonged periods of stress, grief, and bereavement might compromise mental health balance, leading to profound changes. This study investigated the sex-stratified associations between midlife bereavement experiences (e.g. sibling loss, spousal loss, and multiple losses) and late-life depression (LLD) and cognitive impairment.Method: Linked data from the Swedish Level-of-Living Survey and the Swedish Panel Study of Living Conditions of the Oldest Old (SWEOLD) were used. Multiple logistic regressions were performed to examine the associations between midlife bereavement and LLD (n = 1078) and cognitive impairment (n = 995), separately.Results: Sibling loss and multiple losses in midlife were associated with lower odds of LLD, especially among women. Among men, sibling loss in midlife was associated with lower odds of cognitive impairment, while the experience of two losses among women suggested an increased (but non-significant) risk of cognitive impairment. Interaction analyses did not show significant effects between bereavement and gender on LLD and cognitive impairment.Conclusion: Midlife bereavement might have gendered implications on LLD and cognitive impairment, but associations need to be confirmed by well-powered studies. Further research is warranted to elucidate the association between multiple midlife losses and reduced LLD risk.
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| 6. |
- Chehrehnegar, Negin, et al.
(författare)
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Executive function deficits in mild cognitive impairment: evidence from saccade tasks
- 2022
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Ingår i: Aging & Mental Health. - : Routledge; Taylor & Francis. - 1360-7863 .- 1364-6915. ; 26:5, s. 1001-1009
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: Early detection of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is necessary to prevent irreversible brain damage caused by incipient Alzheimers disease. It has been showing that amnestic MCI (a-MCI) subjects exhibit subtle deficits in executive function that can be tested using saccade eye movements. Eye-tracking technology is a sensitive method to measure cognitive impairments in dementia and MCI. Methods In this study, we used eye-tracking technology to explore saccade impairments to distinguish between a-MCI and the variants of reference controls. 21 patients with AD, 40 patients with a-MCI, and 59 normal participants were recruited in current study. We measured saccade reaction time, saccade errors, saccade omission, and uncorrected saccades using anti-saccade and pro-saccade tasks with gap and overlap procedures. These parameters were used as markers of executive function and visual attention deficits.Results: The findings revealed that more errors, more omissions, and fewer corrections characterized the saccade behavior of the a-MCI group compared to the reference group. These eye-tracking characteristics can be considered as inhibitory control and working memory deficits in a-MCI subjects. Our results thus demonstrate the applicability of the anti-saccade task as a cognitive marker in a-MCI. Conclusion The work provides further support for eye-tracking as a useful diagnostic biomarker in the assessment of executive function in aging with cognitive impairments.
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| 7. |
- Dahlberg, Lena, 1970-, et al.
(författare)
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A systematic review of longitudinal risk factors for loneliness in older adults
- 2021
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Ingår i: Aging & Mental Health. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1360-7863 .- 1364-6915. ; 26:2, s. 225-249
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVES: To effectively reduce loneliness in older adults, interventions should be based on firm evidence regarding risk factors for loneliness in that population. This systematic review aimed to identify, appraise and synthesise longitudinal studies of risk factors for loneliness in older adults.METHODS: Searches were performed in June 2018 in PsycINFO, Scopus, Sociology Collection and Web of Science. Inclusion criteria were: population of older adults (M = 60+ years at outcome); longitudinal design; study conducted in an OECD country; article published in English in a peer-review journal. Article relevance and quality assessments were made by at least two independent reviewers.RESULTS: The search found 967 unique articles, of which 34 met relevance and quality criteria. The Netherlands and the United States together contributed 19 articles; 17 analysed national samples while 7 studies provided the data for 19 articles. One of two validated scales was used to measure loneliness in 24 articles, although 10 used a single item. A total of 120 unique risk factors for loneliness were examined. Risk factors with relatively consistent associations with loneliness were: not being married/partnered and partner loss; a limited social network; a low level of social activity; poor self-perceived health; and depression/depressed mood and an increase in depression.CONCLUSION: Despite the range of factors examined in the reviewed articles, strong evidence for a longitudinal association with loneliness was found for relatively few, while there were surprising omissions from the factors investigated. Future research should explore longitudinal risk factors for emotional and social loneliness.
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| 8. |
- Dahlberg, Lena, 1970-
(författare)
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Loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- 2021
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Ingår i: Aging & Mental Health. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1360-7863 .- 1364-6915. ; 25:7, s. 1161-1164
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of physical distancing risk collateral damage such as increased loneliness. Older adults have been identified as being at higher risk of poor outcomes if infected and in many countries have been subjected to greater restrictions on physical contacts with others. Most research so far points towards an increase in loneliness during the pandemic. However, there has been a lack of prospective studies based on representative samples of older adults, with the oldest old, older adults with low or no Internet usage, and those in poor health currently underrepresented. Despite the significance of cultural norms for individuals' standards for social relations and, thus, the experience of loneliness, there has been a lack of comparative research on loneliness in older adults during the pandemic. Reviews have found little evidence for what interventions and what elements of interventions are effective in reducing loneliness. There is potential for social relations to be maintained via technology-based solutions, although there is a risk of excluding older adults with limited resources who are both least likely to use technology and most vulnerable to loneliness. Furthermore, remote social contacts cannot fully compensate for the loss of physical contacts. Where stay-at-home orders are not imposed, supporting neighbourliness and the community use of accessible open spaces are other options. Finally, policy responses to the pandemic need to be more nuanced and non-ageist in order to avoid unnecessary increases in loneliness in older adults.
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| 9. |
- Ekezie, Promise E., et al.
(författare)
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Is the mental health of older adults receiving care from their children related to their children's dual burden of caregiving and work stress? A linked lives perspective
- 2022
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Ingår i: Aging & Mental Health. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1360-7863 .- 1364-6915. ; 27:9, s. 1796-1802
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: Mental health problems are a major concern in the older population in Sweden, as is the growing number of older adults aging alone in their homes and in need of informal care. Using a linked lives perspective, this study explored if older parents' mental health is related to their children's dual burden of informal caregiving and job strain.Methods: Data from a nationally representative Swedish survey, SWEOLD, were used. Mental health problems in older age (mean age 88) were measured with self-reported 'mild' or 'severe' anxiety and depressive symptoms. A primary caregiving adult child was linked to each older parent, and this child's occupation was matched with a job exposure matrix to assess job strain. Logistic regression analyses were conducted with an analytic sample of 334.Results: After adjusting for covariates, caregiving children's lower job control and greater job strain were each associated with mental health problems in their older parents (OR 2.52, p = 0.008 and OR 2.56, p = 0.044, respectively). No association was found between caregiving children's job demands and their older parents' mental health (OR 1.08, p = 0.799).Conclusion: In line with the linked lives perspective, results highlight that the work-life balance of informal caregiving adult children may play a role in their older parent's mental health.
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| 10. |
- El Mrayyan, Nadia, et al.
(författare)
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Healthcare utilisation patterns among older people with intellectual disability and with affective and anxiety diagnoses in comparison with the general population
- 2021
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Ingår i: Aging and Mental Health. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1360-7863 .- 1364-6915. ; 25:8, s. 1525-1534
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: This study investigates specialist healthcare visits of older people with intellectual disability ID having affective and anxiety diagnoses in comparison with the general population, as well as across different levels of ID, behavioural impairment, and living in special housing in Sweden. Method: The study is a retrospective national-register-based study from 2002–2012 of people with ID 55 years and older (n = 7936) and a control group the same size matched by birth year and sex from the general population at the end of study. The study groups comprised those with affective (n = 918) and anxiety (n = 825) diagnoses who visited specialist healthcare, including data about living in special housing at the end of study in 2012. Results: Older people with ID and with affective and anxiety diagnoses have a higher risk of inpatient and unplanned visits to psychiatric and somatic healthcare than the general population. The average length of stay in inpatient psychiatric healthcare was higher in older people with ID and anxiety diagnoses than in the general population. Within the ID group, more inpatient and unplanned visits were made by those with moderate and severe levels of ID, behavioural impairment, and living in special housing. Conclusion: Older people with ID and affective and anxiety diagnoses are more likely to have inpatient and unplanned visits for specialist healthcare than the general population. Future research should explore the quality of healthcare services delivered by healthcare providers to older people with ID and with affective and anxiety diagnoses.
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