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Eliza Georgiou EZ, Politis A, Kosmidis MH, Yannakoulia M, Dardiotis E, Hadjigeorgiou G, Sakka P, Scarmeas N, Economou P, Alexopoulos P. Depressive symptoms in the entire spectrum of cognitive ageing in Greece: evidence from the Hellenic Longitudinal Investigation of Aging and Diet (HELIAD). Int J Psychiatry Clin Pract 2024; 28:27-34. [PMID: 38145312 DOI: 10.1080/13651501.2023.2296889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To study (i) the prevalence of mild and moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms in the entire spectrum of cognitive ageing in Greece and (ii) the relationship between these symptoms and demographic and clinical data. METHODS The study was based on the randomly selected cohort of the Hellenic Longitudinal Investigation of Aging and Diet (HELIAD). Depressive symptoms were assessed with the 15-item version of the Geriatric Depression Scale. Participants also received a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment, while the clinical diagnoses of dementia and mild cognitive impairment were established according to international diagnostic criteria. Statistical analyses relied on comparison tests and a logistic (proportional odds) ordinal regression model. RESULTS Depressive symptoms were detected in 19.5% of the 1936 study participants, while 11.3% of both people with MCI and dementia had moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms. The regression model revealed that older adults with more severe depressive symptoms were more likely female, cognitively impaired, less educated, were treated with psychotropic medication and lived in Attica versus Thessaly. CONCLUSIONS Since depressive symptoms were detected in almost one in five older adults, healthcare professionals in Greece should safeguard the timely detection and effective treatment of such symptoms and the post-diagnostic care of older adults with depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleni-Zacharoula Eliza Georgiou
- Department of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, Mental Health Services, Patras University General Hospital, University of Patras, Patras, Greece
| | - Antonios Politis
- First Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Eginition Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
- Department of Psychiatry, Division of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neuropsychiatry, Johns Hopkins Medical School, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Mary H Kosmidis
- School of Psychology, Lab of Cognitive Neuroscience, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Mary Yannakoulia
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece
| | | | | | - Paraskevi Sakka
- Athens Association of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders, Maroussi, Greece
| | - Nikolaos Scarmeas
- 1st Department of Neurology, Eginition Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece
- Department of Neurology, Taub Institute for Research in Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, The Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Polychronis Economou
- Department of Civil Engineering (Statistics), School of Engineering, University of Patras, Patras, Greece
| | - Panagiotis Alexopoulos
- Department of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, Mental Health Services, Patras University General Hospital, University of Patras, Patras, Greece
- Medical School, Global Brain Health Institute, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, Dublin, Republic of Ireland
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- Patras Dementia Day Care Centre, Patras, Greece
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Ball EL, Altschul DM, Cox SR, Deary IJ, McIntosh AM, Iveson MH. Childhood intelligence and risk of depression in later-life: A longitudinal data-linkage study. SSM Popul Health 2024; 25:101560. [PMID: 38077244 PMCID: PMC10709490 DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2023.101560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2023] [Revised: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/11/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Lower childhood intelligence test scores are reported in some studies to be associated with higher risk of depression in adulthood. The reasons for the association are unclear. This longitudinal data-linkage study explored the relationship between childhood intelligence (at age ∼11) and risk of depression in later-life (up to age ∼85), and whether childhood family structure and adulthood socio-economic and geographical factors accounted for some of this association. Methods Intelligence test scores collected in the Scottish Mental Survey 1947 were linked to electronic health records (hospital admissions and prescribing data) between 1980 and 2020 (n = 53,037), to identify diagnoses of depression. Mixed-effect Cox regression models were used to explore the relationship between childhood intelligence test scores and risk of depression in later-life. Analyses were also adjusted for childhood family structure (size of family) and adulthood socio-economic and geographical factors (Carstairs index, urban/rural). Results Twenty-seven percent of participants were diagnosed with depression during follow-up (n = 14,063/53,037). Greater childhood intelligence test scores were associated with a reduced risk of depression in an unadjusted analysis (HR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.93 to 0.97, P < 0.001), and after adjustment for factors experienced in childhood and adulthood (HR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.91 to 1.00, P = 0.032). When identifying depression using only hospital admissions data, greater childhood intelligence test scores were associated with a reduced risk of depression following unadjusted analysis (HR = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.82 to 0.90, P < 0.001), and after adjusting for risk factors in childhood and adulthood (HR = 0.94, 95% CI = 0.89 to 0.99, P = 0.026). There was no association between childhood cognitive test scores and depression when identifying cases of depression using only prescribed drugs data. Conclusions This study provides additional evidence suggesting that higher childhood intelligence predicts reduced risk of later-life depression only when depression is assessed based on hospital admission records. Childhood family structure and adulthood socio-economic and geographical factors did not seem to be substantial confounders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily L. Ball
- Division of Psychiatry, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Drew M. Altschul
- Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Simon R. Cox
- Lothian Birth Cohorts, Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Ian J. Deary
- Lothian Birth Cohorts, Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Andrew M. McIntosh
- Division of Psychiatry, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Matthew H. Iveson
- Division of Psychiatry, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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Iveson MH, Ball EL, Whalley HC, Deary IJ, Cox SR, Batty GD, John A, McIntosh AM. Childhood cognitive ability and self-harm and suicide in later life. SSM Popul Health 2024; 25:101592. [PMID: 38283541 PMCID: PMC10821139 DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2023.101592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Self-harm and suicide remain prevalent in later life. For younger adults, higher early-life cognitive ability appears to predict lower self-harm and suicide risk. Comparatively little is known about these associations among middle-aged and older adults. Methods This study examined the association between childhood (age 11) cognitive ability and self-harm and suicide risk among a Scotland-wide cohort (N = 53037), using hospital admission and mortality records to follow individuals from age 34 to 85. Multistate models examined the association between childhood cognitive ability and transitions between unaffected, self-harm, and then suicide or non-suicide death. Results After adjusting for childhood and adulthood socioeconomic conditions, higher childhood cognitive ability was significantly associated with reduced risk of self-harm among both males (451 events; HR = 0.90, 95% CI [0.82, 0.99]) and females (516 events; HR = 0.89, 95% CI [0.81, 0.98]). Childhood cognitive ability was not significantly associated with suicide risk among those with (Male: 16 events, HR = 1.05, 95% CI [0.61, 1.80]; Female: 13 events, HR = 1.08, 95% CI [0.55, 2.15]) or without self-harm events (Male: 118 events, HR = 1.17, 95% CI [0.84, 1.63]; Female: 31 events, HR = 1.30, 95% CI [0.70, 2.41]). Limitations The study only includes self-harm events that result in a hospital admission and does not account for self-harm prior to follow-up. Conclusions This extends work on cognitive ability and mental health, demonstrating that these associations can span the life course and into middle and older age.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Emily L. Ball
- Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, UK
| | | | - Ian J. Deary
- Department of Psychology, The University of Edinburgh, UK
| | - Simon R. Cox
- Department of Psychology, The University of Edinburgh, UK
| | - G. David Batty
- Institute of Epidemiology and Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Ann John
- Swansea University Medical School, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
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Iveson MH, Ball EL, Whalley HC, Deary IJ, Cox SR, Batty GD, John A, McIntosh AM. Childhood cognitive ability and self-harm and suicide in later life. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.02.10.23285747. [PMID: 36798203 PMCID: PMC9934796 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.10.23285747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/13/2023]
Abstract
Self-harm and suicide remain prevalent in later life. For younger adults, work has highlighted an association between higher early-life cognitive ability and lower self-harm and suicide risk. Comparatively little is known about its association with self-harm and suicide among older adults. Furthermore, most work has measured cognitive ability in early adulthood, raising issues of potential confounding by emerging psychiatric conditions. The present study examined the association between childhood (age 11) cognitive ability and self-harm and suicide risk among a Scotland-wide cohort of older adults (N = 53037), using health data linkage to follow individuals from age 34 to 85. Self-harm events were extracted from hospital admissions and suicide deaths were extracted from national mortality records. Multistate models were used to model transitions between unaffected, self-harm, and then suicide or non-suicide death, and to examine the association between childhood cognitive ability and each transition. After adjusting for childhood and adulthood socioeconomic conditions, higher childhood cognitive ability was significantly associated with reduced risk of self-harm among older females (N events = 516; HR = 0.90, 95% CI = [0.81, 0.99]). A similar, though non-significant, association was observed among older males (N events = 451; HR = 0.90, 95% CI = [0.82, 1.00]). Although suicide risk was higher among older adults experiencing self-harm, childhood cognitive ability was not significantly associated with suicide risk among either older adults experiencing no self-harm events (Male: N events = 118, HR = 1.17, 95% CI = [0.84, 1.63]; Female: N events = 31, HR = 1.30, 95% CI = [0.70, 2.41]) or those experiencing a self-harm event during follow-up (Male: N events = 16, HR = 1.05, 95% CI = [0.61, 1.80]; Female: N events = 13, HR = 1.08, 95% CI = [0.55, 2.14]). Higher suicide risk was significantly associated with covariates including higher adulthood deprivation and longer time in the self-harm state. These results extend work on cognitive ability and mental health, demonstrating that these associations can span across the life course and into older age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew H Iveson
- Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, UK
| | - Emily L Ball
- Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, UK
| | | | - Ian J Deary
- Department of Psychology, The University of Edinburgh, UK
| | - Simon R Cox
- Department of Psychology, The University of Edinburgh, UK
| | - G David Batty
- Institute of Epidemiology and Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Ann John
- Swansea University Medical School, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
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Iveson MH, Cox SR, Deary IJ. Intergenerational Social Mobility and Health in Later Life: Diagonal Reference Models Applied to the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2022; 77:2257-2264. [PMID: 35952386 PMCID: PMC9799199 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbac107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Although commonly used to model associations between intergenerational social mobility and health, linear regression cannot estimate the contributions of origin, destination, and mobility independently. Nonlinear diagonal reference models (DRMs) have become a popular alternative and have been applied to various health outcomes, though few studies examine the impact of social mobility on later-life health. METHODS This study revisits health outcomes examined in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936, using DRMs to assess the association between intergenerational social mobility and satisfaction with life, self-rated health, depression, and mortality from age 68-82 years. RESULTS After adjusting for sex, age, education, and childhood cognitive ability, there was no evidence of an association between intergenerational social mobility and later-life health; participants experiencing upward or downward mobility had similar odds of poor health outcomes as non-mobile participants. However, those from higher occupational social classes exhibited lower odds of mortality (p = .01), with a stronger contribution of adult (own) than of childhood (father's) social class (weights = 0.75 vs. 0.25). No other outcomes demonstrated significant associations with socioeconomic position. DISCUSSION This adds to evidence that social mobility does not influence variation in later-life health once other factors-including socioeconomic origins and destinations-are accounted for.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew H Iveson
- Address correspondence to: Matthew H. Iveson, PhD, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK. E-mail:
| | - Simon R Cox
- Lothian Birth Cohorts, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Ian J Deary
- Lothian Birth Cohorts, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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