Religiousness, social support and the use of antidepressants among the elderly: a population-based study

Age-varying relationships between family support and depressive symptoms in Chinese community-dwelling older adults

BACKGROUND

Adequate family support is an important factor in reducing the risk of depressive symptoms in older adults. We aimed to explore the age-varying relationships of family support and depressive symptoms in community-dwelling older adults.

METHODS

A total of 22,163 person-waves of older adults aged 60 to 85 years from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey were included. Depressive symptoms were assessed by the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Family support was divided into instrumental family support and emotional family support. A Time-Varying Effects Model was utilized to analyze the age-varying relationships.

RESULTS

There were age-varying relationships between family support and depressive symptoms in community-dwelling older adults. Around age 70 was an important turning point of age. In instrumental family support, access to living care can reduce the risk of depressive symptoms in almost all age groups. At least medium-level financial support was required to be protective against depressive symptoms, and high-level financial support was necessary after age 70. In emotional family support, meeting children with high frequency was significantly associated with a lower risk of depressive symptoms before age 70. Contacting children with low or medium frequency added the risk of depressive symptoms before age 70.

LIMITATIONS

Limited sample size of participants aged 80 years and above, lack of assessment for expectations of family support.

CONCLUSIONS

Providing the appropriate type and intensity of family support for older adults at a suitable age was encouraged. Future research should further verify and explicate the age-varying relationships longitudinally.

HospitalElder Life Program na unidade de urgência e emergência de um hospital público universitário: um programa de intervenção multicomponente para prevenção de delirium

Resumo Objetivo Avaliar a viabilidade da implementação de uma adaptação do Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP) com a participação de cuidadores familiares em hospital público universitário. Método Estudo piloto descritivo exploratório desenvolvido com 30 pacientes internados e seus cuidadores. Os Formulários de Registro foram aplicados para identificar fatores de risco para delirium, selecionar protocolos de intervenção e acompanhar a implementação. Nível de satisfação dos participantes e barreiras para implementar o programa foram avaliados por meio de entrevistas qualitativas. Resultados secundários foram coletados dos prontuários médicos. Análise estatística descritiva foi realizada para caracterizar a amostra e análise de conteúdo foi usada para analisar dados qualitativos. Resultados A maioria dos pacientes era do sexo feminino (60%), com idade média de 74,3 anos, ensino fundamental incompleto (60%), viúvo/divorciado (56,7%) e morava com familiares (83,3%) em casa (93,3%). Haviam sido hospitalizados 56,7% no último ano e 93,3% tinham pelo menos um fator de risco para delirium. Assistência alimentar e reposição de líquidos foi o protocolo com maior adesão (96,2%) e orientação (76,5%) com menor. Os participantes ficaram satisfeitos e acreditam que o HELP contribuiu para melhorar os resultados dos pacientes. Os motivos para não realização da intervenção proposta estavam relacionados à estrutura ou organização hospitalar, ao paciente e ao acompanhante. Conclusão Nossos resultados sugerem que ter membros da família atuando como “voluntários” é uma estratégia viável para implementar o HELP. Essa estratégia pode promover sua implementação em hospitais públicos de países de baixa e média renda.

Modified Hospital Elder Life Program in the emergency department of a public university hospital: a multicomponent intervention program for preventing delirium

Abstract Objective To evaluate the feasibility of implementing an adaptation of the Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP) with the participation of family caregivers in a public university hospital. Method Descriptive exploratory pilot study developed with 30 hospitalized patients and their caregivers. Registration Forms were applied to identify risk factors for delirium, to select intervention protocols, and track implementation. Participants' level of satisfaction and barriers to implementing the program were assessed through qualitative interviews. Secondary results were collected from medical records. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed to characterize the sample and content analysis was used to analyze qualitative data. Results Most patients were female (60%), with a mean age of 74.3 years, incomplete elementary school (60%), widowed/divorced (56.7%) and living with family members (83.3%) at home (93.3%). 56.7% had been hospitalized in the last year and 93.3% had at least one risk factor for delirium. Food assistance and fluid replacement was the protocol with the highest adherence (96.2%) and guidance (76.5%) with the lowest. Participants were satisfied and believe that HELP contributed to improving patient outcomes. The reasons for not performing the proposed intervention were related to the hospital structure or organization, the patient and the companion. Conclusion Our results suggest that having family members act as “volunteers” is a viable strategy to implement HELP. This strategy can promote its implementation in public hospitals in low and middle-income countries.

"A Temple of God": A Qualitative Analysis of the connection Between Spiritual/Religious Beliefs and Health Among Mormons

In the last decades, studies have increasingly shown an association between religious/spiritual beliefs (R/S) and several health outcomes. In this context, Mormons provide an intriguing case for such investigation because Mormonism stands out for its commitment to the "Word of Wisdom" with several restrictions and recommendations. Despite the consolidated wide array of evidence, showing that the relationship between "Word of Wisdom" and health may usually have a protective effect in North-American studies, little is know about this community in other countries and, to our knowledge, no health studies have ever been carried out in European and Spanish Mormons. The present qualitative study aims to fill this gap, exploring the discourses, opinions, and attitudes of the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints about the recommendations of the Health Law and the "Word of Wisdom" on their health. In the analysis, six themes appeared during the coding process and were converted in the following categories: Theme 1 Body as a Temple, Theme 2 Promises of blessing, Theme 3 Healthy lifestyle, Theme 4 Stigma, Theme 5 Damage to the family, and Theme 6 Spiritual Performance. We found that fulfilling the "Law of Wisdom" may lead Mormons to take care of their health, and to have a network of support from church leaders, who may act as health promoters. Religiosity tends to insert values and behaviours that seem to benefit individual's health and protect their families, such as the non-use of substances and the preservation of a "healthy body" (i.e. "body as a temple"). However, some stigma and isolation may appear in contact with other groups due to these restrictions and limitations.

Association between religiosity and depression varies with age and sex among adults in South America: Evidence from the CESCAS I study

Prior studies have suggest that religiosity mitigates symptoms of depression. However, population-based data in South America are limited. This study determines the prevalence of religiosity and explores its association with depression in four cities of the Southern cone of Latin-America. In the CESCAS I study 7524 participants aged between 35 and 74 years old were recruited between 2011 and 2012 from randomly selected samples in 4 cities (Bariloche and Marcos Paz, Argentina; Temuco, Chile; and Pando-Barros Blancos, Uruguay). Religiosity was assessed with a questionnaire from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos. Two dimensions were used: 1) recognition as belonging to a religion; and 2) frequency of participation in religious activities. Depression was measured using the PHQ-9. Prevalence of religiosity was described by sociodemographic characteristics. Association between religiosity and depression was examined through logistic regression models controlling for sex, age and other potential confounders. Weekly religious activities were reported by 32.3% (95% CI: 30.1, 33.6) of participants. Prevalence of major depressive episode (MDE) was 14.6% (95% CI: 13.6, 15.6). After controlling for confounders, older women (≥65 years) who reported religious affiliation had 70% lower likelihood of having MDE (OR: 0.3; 95% CI, 0.1, 0.8). Moreover, in this group, women participating in religious activities more than once per week compared with “never” had 50% lower likelihood of having a MDE (OR: 0.5; 95% CI: 0.3, 0.9). No association between religious activities and depression was found in men. Religiosity is highly prevalent among adults in four cities of South America. Our study found an inverse association between religiosity and depression only in women, stronger in olders. Although longitudinal studies are necessary to determine the true nature of these relationships, religiosity may be a relevant factor that health care providers could take into account when exploring depression in their patients.

The Role of Religion in Buffering the Impact of Stressful Life Events on Depressive Symptoms in Patients with Depressive Episodes or Adjustment Disorder

Most studies into the role of religiousness in relation to depression severity have mainly found an inverse relationship between greater religiousness and lower levels of depressive symptoms. There is reason to assume that religiousness has a buffering effect on the relationship between stressful life events and depressive symptoms. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of religiousness in moderating the impact of stressors on depressive symptoms. n = 348 patients with either a depressive episode or adjustment disorder were assessed at referral to the liaison psychiatry services in three Dublin hospitals and n = 132 patients were followed up six months later. We assessed depressive symptoms, life events, social support, and religiosity, and used hierarchical and multiple linear regression for data analysis. The interaction of organised religious activity and the amount of life events was significant (β = −0.19, p = 0.001) in the cross-sectional prediction of depressive symptoms while non-organised religious activity (β = −0.23, p = 0.001) and intrinsic religiousness (β = −0.15, p = 0.033) interacted significantly with life events in the longitudinal analysis. This study demonstrated that various dimensions of religiousness buffered the impact of life events on outcome.

Social support for elderly people over 65 years in Spain

AIMS

To determine what social support is available in Spain to people over 65 who also dedicate hours of their time to the care of others who are older.

BACKGROUND

Demographic and social changes are leading to growth of the population. The social support available to older people in the final stage of life affects their health.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted involving the records of older, non-institutionalized individuals residing in Spain, obtained from the European Health Survey of 2014. The method of collecting information used in the European Survey was personal interviews assisted by a computer.

RESULTS

The records of 6520 older people were studied; 40.1% of the participants studied had expressed the possibility of having three to five people available in case of a serious problem, and 83.6% reported that the rest of the people around them were very interested in what happens to them. With respect to care, only 7% of the older people studied mentioned performing care tasks.

CONCLUSIONS

Social support is beneficial to older people, regardless of whether they perform care tasks, because it acts as a protective factor against problems such as loneliness, stress and depression. The profile of a primary caregiver in this age range is a married, middle-class woman with primary schooling who is caring for a first-degree relative.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY

These data suggest that it is necessary for nurses to know about the needs of older people to implement societal measures of health promotion, prevention and education that favour social cohort. In addition, health policymakers should establish programmes that improve the social support of non-institutionalized older people.