Long-term aging trajectories of the accumulation of disease burden as predictors of daily affect dynamics and stressor reactivity

Multiple-timescale studies provide new opportunities to examine how developmental processes that evolve at different cadences are intertwined. Developmental theories of emotion regulation suggest that the long-term, slowly evolving age-related accumulation of disease burden should shape short-term, faster evolving (daily) affective experiences. To empirically examine this proposition, we combined data from 123 old adults (65-69 years, 47% women) and 32 very old adults (85-88 years, 59% women) who provided 20 + year within-person longitudinal data on physician-rated morbidity and subsequently also completed repeated daily-life assessments of stress and affect six times a day over 7 consecutive days as they were going about their daily-life routines. Results from models that simultaneously articulate growth and intraindividual variability processes (in a dynamic structural equation modeling framework) revealed that individual differences in long-term aging trajectories of the accumulation of disease burden were indeed predictive of differences in three facets of affective dynamics that manifest in everyday life. In particular-over and above mean levels of disease burden-older adults whose disease burden had increased more over the past 20 years had higher base level of negative affect in their daily lives, more emotional reactivity to the experience of daily stressors, and more moment-to-moment fluctuations in negative affect that was unrelated to stressors (affective systemic noise). We highlight that developmental processes evolving over vastly different timescales are intertwined, and speculate how new knowledge about those relations can inform developmental theories of emotion regulation and daily-life functioning. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Longitudinal Within-Person Associations Between Quality of Social Relations, Structure of Social Relations, and Cognitive Functioning in Older Age

OBJECTIVES

Individuals' social connections and interpersonal experiences can both shape and be shaped by cognitive functioning. This study examines longitudinal within-person associations between quality of social relations, structure of social relations, and cognitive functioning in older age.

METHODS

We examined 16-year longitudinal data (3 waves) from 497 older adults (M = 66.07 years, SD = 0.83, range = 64-68 years) from the Interdisciplinary Longitudinal Study of Adult Development and Aging. Quality of social relations was measured by scales on perceived emotional support, instrumental support, and social integration. Structure of social relations was measured by self-reported number of leisure time partner types, indicating social network diversity. Cognitive functioning was assessed as a latent construct consisting of five cognitive tests (i.e., Information, Similarities, Letter Fluency, Picture Completion, Block Design). We used a random intercept cross-lagged panel model in the analysis.

RESULTS

At the within-person level, prior quality of social relations, but not structure of social relations, was positively associated with subsequent cognitive functioning. Moreover, prior cognitive functioning was positively associated with subsequent structure of social relations, but not with quality of social relations.

DISCUSSION

Quality of social relations is a protective factor of cognitive aging. Additionally, responding to prior lower cognitive functioning, social network diversity reduced, but quality of social relations did not seem to change. Overall, this study suggested that social relations and cognitive functioning mutually influence each other, but different aspects of social relations (i.e., quality, structure) might have different directional associations with cognitive functioning.

Factors associated with high oxidative stress in patients with type 2 diabetes: a meta-analysis of two cohort studies

OBJECTIVE

Our objective is to identify the potential factors associated with serum Diacron's reactive oxygen metabolites test (D-ROM) levels of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) by conducting cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses in two large cohorts and further strengthening these results by performing a meta-analysis.

METHODS

Serum D-ROM concentrations were measured in 1045 and 1101 patients with T2DM from two independent cohort studies from Germany at baseline and repeatedly 3-4 years later. The cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of various potential determinants with D-ROM levels were assessed with a backwards selection algorithm in multivariable adjusted models.

RESULTS

In the meta-analysis of the cross-sectional analysis, female sex, low education, obesity, smoking, high total cholesterol, hemoglobin A_1c ≥7%, no diabetes medication, a history of myocardial infarction, heart failure, a history of cancer and C reactive protein levels (CRP) >3 mg/L were statistically significantly associated with increased D-ROM levels in patients with T2DM. The meta-analysis of the longitudinal analysis revealed that old age, female sex, obesity, smoking, physical inactivity, high alcohol consumption, ≥5 years since diabetes diagnosis and CRP levels between 3 mg/L and 10 mg/L were statistically significantly associated with D-ROM levels measured 3-4 years later.

CONCLUSIONS VALIDITY, LIMITATIONS AND CLINICAL APPLICABILITY

This comprehensive analysis confirmed that several modifiable risk factors are being associated with oxidative stress in patients with T2DM within an observational study design. We discuss potential prevention measures against these risk factors that might help to reduce oxidative stress and to prevent some cases of premature mortality in patients with T2DM.