Factors associated with and prevalence of depressive features amongst older adults in an urban city in eastern China

Colonial War: When the Years Rekindle the Suffering—A Pilot Study

For more than 150 years, traumatic stress has been a recurrent topic of medical and psychological studies, in which war-related experiences remain to be addressed. Although veterans have been considered a high-risk group for the development of stress-related diseases, the impact of aging on the trauma process is an unexplored field. This study aimed to analyze the aging-related factors that may influence the emergence of traumatic stress symptoms in war veterans. The clinical data of 29 Colonial War Portuguese veterans were verified in order to identify the main diagnoses, and the frequency of health service use. Through thematic analysis of the transcripts of 10 interviews with veterans diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), the main symptoms and factors that led them to mental health services were identified. In addition, a literature review on mental health and psychological trauma was conducted to provide an overview of the knowledge on this topic. Aging seems to be an opportunity to face conflicts which have been kept hidden throughout veterans’ lives. Social stigmatization and the non-recognition of traumatic stress as a disease influenced the Portuguese veterans’ silence, which could be broken with the aging process. Retirement, physical illness, death of close friends or family members, and loss of autonomy may contribute to the onset of trauma-related symptoms.

Family social capital and life satisfaction among older adults living alone in urban China: the moderating role of functional health

Objectives: The present study examined the moderating effects of functional health on the association between family social capital and life satisfaction among older adults who live alone in urban China.Method: Data for this study were derived from a study "Survey on older adults aged 70 and above who live alone in urban China," which was carried out in five Chinese cities between November 2013 and May 2015. 2801 respondents passed the screening test of cognitive capacities and successfully completed the survey. Family social capital was operationalized as family interaction, number of children, and family relationship. Random-effects logistic regression was conducted to test the proposed hypotheses.Results: The moderating effects of functional health on the association between family interaction and life satisfaction were identified. While family interaction was positively associated with life satisfaction among older adults without disabilities who live alone, family interaction was negatively associated with life satisfaction among those with disabilities. Furthermore, the association between number of children and life satisfaction was nonsignificant among older adults without disabilities, when family relationship was controlled. However, number of children was positively associated with life satisfaction among those with disabilities. Finally, the results showed family relationship were important protective factors of life satisfaction among older adults living alone, regardless of their functional health levels.Conclusion: Theoretical aspects on how family social capital, living alone, and functional health are interwoven and influence mental health in later life were deliberated. Policy and intervention implications were discussed.