Aging & mental health
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Aging & mental health · Jan 2015
Religiosity and quality of life: a dyadic perspective of individuals with dementia and their caregivers.
Dyadic coping theory purports the benefit of joint coping strategies within a couple, or dyad, when one dyad member is faced with illness or stress. We examine the effect of religiosity on well-being for individuals with dementia (IWDs). In particular, we look at the effect of both dyad members' religiosity on perceptions of IWDs' quality of life (QoL). Neither of these issues has been extensively explored. ⋯ These findings suggest that religiosity of both the caregiver and the IWD affect perception of the IWD's QoL. It is important that caregivers understand IWDs' values concerning religion as it may serve as a coping mechanism for dealing with dementia.
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Aging & mental health · Jan 2015
Incongruence between stroke survivor and spouse perceptions of survivor functioning and effects on spouse mental health: a mixed-methods pilot study.
This pilot study investigated stroke survivors' and caregiving spouses' individual perspectives on survivor cognitive and physical functioning and the extent to which incongruence between partners' perceptions affects spouse depressive symptoms and overall mental health. ⋯ Partner incongruence has an impact on spouse depressive symptoms and overall mental health. Interventions targeted at survivor-spouse dyads and focused on improving communication between partners about survivor abilities may be effective for improving the mental health of spousal caregivers.
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Aging & mental health · Jan 2015
The stability of coping strategies in older adults with osteoarthritis and the ability of these strategies to predict changes in depression, disability, and pain.
Given the chronically painful, incurable nature of osteoarthritis, effective cognitive and behavioral coping strategies may be critical for older adults with the disease. Little is known about how and why coping changes over time, nor about stability of coping strategies in persons with osteoarthritis. The aims of this work were to examine the structure of coping in older adults with osteoarthritis, the association of coping strategies with well-being, the stability of coping over time, and its association with changes in well-being over the same period. ⋯ Changes in coping style predicts future well-being; however, coping remains malleable with age and maladaptive strategies can be effectively targeted. Greater knowledge of the utility or maladaptive nature of a given strategy may help guide decisions about interventions for patients with osteoarthritis and encourage more adaptive coping styles.
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Aging & mental health · Jan 2015
The new DSM-5 diagnosis of mild neurocognitive disorder and its relation to research in mild cognitive impairment.
The Diagnostic Statistical Manual-5 (DSM-5) has included a category named the neurocognitive disorder which was formally known in DSM-IV as 'dementia, delirium, amnestic, and other cognitive disorders'. The DSM-5 distinguishes between 'mild' and 'major' neurocognitive disorders. Major neurocognitive disorder replaces the DSM-IV's term 'dementia or other debilitating conditions'. ⋯ The presence of NPS is common among individuals with MCI and is an important risk for progression to dementia. However, there has been little research on effective treatments for NPS in MCI. Clinicians and investigators must determine if the treatment of the NPS in mNCD will improve quality of life and help reduce the progression of the cognitive impairment.
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Aging & mental health · Jan 2015
Moderating effect of communication difficulty on the relationship between depression and pain: a study on community-dwelling older adults in Hong Kong.
This study examined the relationship between depression and pain, and the moderating effect of communication difficulty on this relationship, among community-dwelling older adults in Hong Kong. ⋯ The moderating effect of communication difficulty may be explained by the interaction between depression and communication difficulty. Participants who were depressed and concurrently experienced communication difficulty may be more likely to catastrophize their pain and may tend to report or experience more pain. Health care professionals need to be aware of the different effects of communication difficulty on the pain experiences of older adults. Psychosocial intervention may be provided to minimize older adults' communication barriers to pain management.