Social group memberships, physical activity, and physical health following retirement: A six-year follow-up from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

Understanding and Improving Athlete Mental Health: A Social Identity Approach

Understanding and positively influencing athlete mental health have become key goals for researchers and sporting stakeholders (e.g. coaches, support staff, clubs and governing bodies). In this article, we outline a novel perspective for tackling these challenges, drawing on an influential theory of group processes. This social identity approach can, we argue, help explain when and why the characteristics and demands of sport, which is typically a collective endeavour, pose a threat to athlete mental health and provide a guiding framework for efforts to protect and enhance athlete mental health. Here, we seek to illustrate the value of a social identity analysis of athlete mental health through three key points that speak to its analytical and practical value. Specifically, we propose: (1) that social identities can act as psychological resources that support athlete mental health, (2) that social identities are critical to athlete mental health during and after sporting transitions and (3) that leadership informed by a social identity approach can facilitate athlete mental health. With a view to maximising the value of our analysis both for those working with athletes and for researchers, we also identify practical steps that relevant stakeholders could take to support athlete mental health, and key avenues for future research to further test our propositions and advance understanding. Our analysis provides a new lens through which all those invested in understanding and supporting athlete mental health can approach these challenges, and a foundation for novel solutions.

Physical activity and transitioning to retirement: evidence from the China health and retirement longitudinal study

BACKGROUND

The impact of retirement on physical activity among older individuals remains ambiguous. This study aims to investigate the influence of retirement on physical activity and delineate the trajectories of physical activity changes during the retirement transition among elderly Chinese residents. Additionally, we endeavor to examine the factors that contribute to each trajectory.

METHODS

This longitudinal cohort study used data from four surveys of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study and included a sample of 428 individuals who underwent formal retirement and provided information on physical activity. We employed generalized estimating equation to explore the impact of the retirement transition on physical activity among Chinese older adults. Latent class growth analysis was used to identify distinct trajectories of physical activity, and binary logistic regression was performed to identify pre-retirement factors influencing changes in physical activity.

RESULTS

Our findings indicate that retirement can lead to a decline in physical activity among older Chinese residents (OR = 0.85, 95%CI 0.75 ~ 0.97). We identified three distinct trajectories of physical activity during the retirement transition: Trajectory 1 - "sustained low level of physical activity" (7.94%); Trajectory 2 - "middle level of physical activity with gradual decline" (69.16%); Trajectory 3 - "sustained high level of physical activity with significant fluctuations" (22.90%). Furthermore, we discovered that individuals in the "middle level of physical activity and gradual decline" trajectory were more likely to have an annual income exceeding 40,000 yuan (OR = 9.69, 95%CI 1.12 ~ 83.63), reside in urban areas (OR = 2.27, 95%CI 1.14 ~ 4.52), and have a fondness for playing Mahjong (OR = 2.42, 95%CI 1.18 ~ 5.00) compared to those in the "sustained high level of physical activity with significant fluctuations" trajectory. Additionally, having an annual income exceeding 40,000 yuan (OR = 19.67, 95%CI 1.30 ~ 298.61) predicted membership in the "sustained low level of physical activity" trajectory when compared to the "sustained high level of physical activity with significant fluctuations" trajectory.

CONCLUSION

Retirement represents a substantial milestone in the life course and is associated with notable alterations in physical activity patterns. Among older Chinese residents, the trajectories of physical activity during the retirement transition exhibit diverse paths and are influenced by pre-retirement factors, including annual income, residential location, and hobbies. The findings of this study have important implications for the formulation of policies aimed at promoting healthy aging among individuals approaching retirement age.

The impact of neighborhood mental health on the mental health of older adults

BACKGROUND

In this article, we use cross-sectional data obtained from the 2018 China Health and Aging Tracking Survey (CHARLS) to examine the impact of neighborhood mental health at the community level on the mental health of older adults aged 60 years and older.

METHODS

NMH is the average mental health of older adults in the same community, excluding the older adults themselves. The explained variable mental health in this paper was measured using the simple CES-D depression scale. The mediating variables were social connectedness, social participation and social inclusion, and the instrumental variables were physical exercise and amusement. regression analysis was conducted using OLS regression models, two-stage least squares (IV-2SLS) instrumental variables to address the two-way causality of NMH and MH, and KHB decomposition was used to investigate the effect mechanism.

RESULTS

Baseline regressions showed that the neighborhood mental health effect positively influenced the mental health of older adults (Coef. = 0.356, 95% CI 0.315,0.397). The neighborhood mental health effect estimated by IV-2SLS (Coef. = 0.251, 95% CI 0.096,0.405) was higher than the OLS regression, indicating endogeneity. The mediated effects of KHB showed total (Coef. = 0.356, 95% CI 0.314,0.398), direct (Coef. = 0.281, 95% CI 0.232,0.330), and indirect effects (Coef. = 0.075, 95% CI 0.049,0.101). While the total effect was 1.266 times higher than the direct effect, 21.03% of the total effect came from mediating variables.

CONCLUSIONS

First, the neighborhood mental health effect has a positive impact on the mental health of older adults, but there are heterogeneous differences based on gender, age, and place of residence. Second, the results of the IV-2SLS estimation showed that the effect of the neighborhood mental health effect was underestimated if endogenous problems were not controlled for. Third, the effect of neighborhood mental health on older adults' mental health was tested to be stable. Moreover, social connectedness, social participation, and social interaction are important mediating mechanisms for the effect of neighborhood mental health on older adults' mental health. This study provides new perspectives and ideas for an in-depth understanding of the mental health of older adults in the context of social transformation in China.

Social Participation Through the Retirement Transition: Differences by Gender and Employment Status

This study examines how retirees' formal and informal social participation change over time and investigates gendered differences. Seven waves of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing track the frequency of social participation. A comparison group of employed individuals, weighted with coarsened exact matching, controls for age and time trends, and mixed model regressions estimate changes over time. Retirees show a gradual decline in the frequency of meeting friends and an abrupt decrease in the frequency of attending a social gathering, compared to their working peers. These trends are much stronger for men than women, and compound pre-existing gender differences in social participation. The more severe decline in the social participation of men is of great concern and points to the persistence of gendered employment structures into the retirement transition, putting Korean retirees at risk of social isolation and related health deterioration.

Personal Social Networks of Community-Dwelling Oldest Old During the Covid-19 Pandemic-A Qualitative Study

The COVID-19 pandemic and its related restrictions have affected the everyday life of older people. Advanced age is a significant predisposing factor for a more severe COVID-19 infection, increasing the risk for hospitalization and mortality. Even though restrictions have been, thus, well-grounded, they may also have had detrimental effects on the social well-being of older people. Personal networks and social activity are known protective factors against the premature decline in health and functioning, and it is widely acknowledged that social isolation increases feelings of loneliness, poor quality of life, and even the risk for diseases and disabilities among older adults. This qualitative study investigated changes in personal networks among community-dwelling oldest-old individuals (persons aged 80 and over) during the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Finland. The data is part of the Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging, and Dementia (CAIDE85+) study, which is an ongoing large longitudinal population-based study in Finland. In this qualitative sub-study, we analyzed fifteen in-depth telephone interviews using directed content analyses and identified five types of changes in personal social networks during the pandemic. In type 1, all social contacts were significantly reduced due to official recommendations and fear of the virus. Type 2 included modified ways of being socially active i.e., by deploying new technology, and in type 3, social contacts increased during the lockdown. In type 4, personal social networks were changed unexpectedly or dramatically due to a death of a spouse, for example. In type 5, we observed stable social networks, which had not been affected by the pandemic. At an individual level, one person could have had different types of changes during the pandemic. These results highlight the heterogeneity of the oldest olds' personal social networks and changes related to them during the exceptional times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Social activity and personal networks play an important role in the well-being of the oldest old, but individual situations, needs, and preferences toward personal social networks should be taken into account when planning social activities, policies, and interventions.

A Computational Model of Similarity Analysis in Quality of Life Research: An Example of Studies in Poland

Due to the multidimensional structure of the results of similarity studies, their analysis is often difficult. Therefore, a compact and transparent presentation of these results is essential. The purpose of the present study is to propose a graphical representation of the results of similarity analysis in studies on the quality of life. The results are visualized on specific diagrams (maps), where a large amount of information is presented in a compact form. New similarity maps obtained using a computational method, correspondence analysis, are shown as a convenient tool for comparative studies on the quality of life of different groups of individuals. The usefulness of this approach to the description of changes of the quality of life after the retirement threshold in different domains is demonstrated. The World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF questionnaire was used to evaluate individuals in Poland. By analyzing clusters on the similarity maps, two groups (employees and retirees) were classified according to their quality of life in different domains. By comparing the structures of the classification maps containing the information about the whole system considered, it is clearly seen which factors are important in the comparative studies. For the considered problems, the uncertainty coefficients describing the effect size and preserving the information on the symmetry of the variables that were used for the creation of the contingency tables were evaluated.

Better together: How group-based physical activity protects against depression

Against the backdrop of evidence that physical activity can protect against depression, there has been growing interest in the mechanisms through which this relationship operates (e.g., biological adaptations), and the factors that might moderate it (e.g., physical activity intensity). However, no attempt has been made to examine whether, or through what mechanisms, depression-related benefits might arise from belonging to groups that engage in physical activity. Across two studies, we addressed these shortcomings by (a) examining whether engaging in physical activity specifically in the context of sport or exercise groups protects against depression and (b) testing two pathways through which benefits might arise: greater physical activity and reduced loneliness. Study 1 (N = 4549) used data from three waves of a population study of older adults residing in England. Sport or exercise group membership predicted fewer depression symptoms four years later. This relationship was underpinned by sport or exercise group members engaging in physical activity more frequently and feeling less lonely. Clinical depression rates were almost twice as high among non-group members than group members. Study 2 (N = 635) included Australian adults who were members of sport and exercise groups, recruited during the enforced suspension of all group-based sport and exercise due to COVID-19 restrictions. The more sport or exercise groups participants had lost physical access to, the more severe their depression symptoms. Clinical depression rates were over twice as high among those who had lost access to >2 groups compared to those who had lost access to <2 groups. The relationship between number of groups lost and depression symptom severity was mediated by greater loneliness, but not by overall physical activity. Overall, findings suggest that belonging to groups that engage in physical activity can protect against depression, and point to the value of initiatives that aim to promote people's engagement in such groups.