Routineness of Social Interactions Is Associated With Higher Affective Well-Being in Older Adults

OBJECTIVES

Some research conceptualizes routineness of daily life as an indicator of cognitive vulnerability that would lead to lower well-being in older age, whereas other research expects routineness to give rise to more meaning and stability in life and thus to higher well-being. Further research is needed to understand routineness in older adults in relation to cognitive abilities and well-being. This study examined routineness of social interactions.

METHODS

We examined data from an event-contingent experience sampling study with 103 Swiss community-dwelling older adults (aged 65 to 84 years). Participants completed in-lab cognitive assessments (reasoning, episodic memory, speed, and vocabulary) and reported their well-being (positive affect, negative affect, and life satisfaction). For more than 21 days, participants reported the time and context of their social interactions (including modality, partner type, and location). Routineness of social interactions was defined as social interactions that occurred at the same time of day over the study period. It was calculated using recurrence quantification analysis.

RESULTS

Linear regressions showed that higher routineness of social interaction in general, of social interaction through the same modality, and of social interaction with the same partner type were associated with higher positive affect. Higher routineness of social interaction in general was associated with lower negative affect. Routineness of social interactions was not associated with life satisfaction or cognitive abilities.

DISCUSSION

A routine social life may increase older adults' affective well-being. Results are discussed in the context of activity engagement and time use in older age.

A Greater Variety of Social Activities Is Associated With Lower Mortality Risk

OBJECTIVES

More frequent engagement in social activity is often associated with better physical health outcomes. Yet, less is known about whether engagement in a greater variety of social activities such as a mix of volunteering and attending club meetings (social activity variety) is important for health. The current study assessed whether social activity variety relates to mortality risk after adjusting for social activity frequency, nonsocial activity frequency and variety, and sociodemographic covariates, and how this relationship varies depending on age.

METHODS

Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, we included 5,017 adults aged 51 and older who completed questions about social activity participation in 2008 and whose mortality status was recorded up to 2019. We also examined whether age moderated the relationship between social activity variety and mortality risk.

RESULTS

Cox proportional hazard model analyses revealed that those with higher activity variety in social activities were more likely to survive over the following 11 years than those with low social activity variety. Moreover, age moderation indicated that the association between social activity variety with mortality risk was stronger among the oldest adults.

DISCUSSION

Findings suggest that a greater variety of social activities is linked to mortality risk even after adjusting for social activity frequency, nonsocial activities, and health status across adulthood.

Control Beliefs Mediate the Within-Person Relationship Between Everyday Activity Volition and Daily Subjective Age

OBJECTIVES

Appraisal and interpretation of personal experiences resulting from interaction with situational contexts might play an important role in shaping subjective age at the within-person level, but it is unclear how this process unfolds. We propose that older adults evaluate situational contexts and reflect on their general psychological resources when determining their subjective age, and tested this proposal with volition of daily activities as a proxy for appraisal of situational contexts and control beliefs as a proxy for psychological resources. We hypothesize that appraising daily activities one engaged in as obligatory would deplete one's perceived control and concomitantly make one feel older.

METHODS

Older adults (n = 116) ranging in age from 60 to 90 (M = 64.84) completed a 9-day daily diary study online, resulting in 743 total days. Participants reported their sociodemographic characteristics on Day 1 and major daily activities, volition of every reported activity, felt age, and control beliefs on Days 2-9.

RESULTS

On days when older adults felt that activities they engaged in were of their own volition, they also felt more in control. A lower-level mediation result suggested that within-person control beliefs mediated the relationship between volition of daily activities and subjective age.

DISCUSSION

Our findings suggest that older adults evaluate situational contexts and reflect on their control beliefs as a general psychological resource when determining their subjective age. These findings show the important role psychological resources play in determining subjective age from a within-person perspective and extended the within-person process proposed in previous theoretical models.

Couples' Cognition, Intimacy, and Activity Engagement: An Actor-Partner Interdependence Model Analysis

OBJECTIVES

This study examines the actor and partner effects of cognition on activity engagement and the potential mediating role of intimate relationship in older couple dyadic context.

METHODS

Data for this study were obtained from heterosexual couples who participated in the 2020 wave of the Health and Retirement Study. Constructing a dyadic model of couples' cognitions, activity engagement, and intimacy using structural equation modeling to analyze the relationship between variables and mediating effects.

RESULTS

At the actor level, cognition was positively correlated with their activity participation. At the partner level, wives' cognition and husbands' activity engagement were positively correlated. Husband's cognitive score affect wife's subjective feelings about intimacy. The mediation effect of Wife's intimacy on the relationship between husband's cognition and wife's activity engagement was significant.

CONCLUSIONS

In older couples, cognition influences activity engagement at a binary level, and this association is influenced by the level of intimacy. Improving intimacy can help increase activity engagement in older couples, which in turn promotes health. Clinical Implications Maintaining cognition helps older people enjoy good marriage and participation in activities. For women, the closer the partnership, the higher the frequency of participating in various activities.

The Mediating Role of Affective States in Short-Term Effects of Activity Engagement on Working Memory in Older Age

INTRODUCTION

It has been shown that activity engagement is associated with cognitive ability in older age, but mechanisms behind the associations have rarely been examined. Following a recent study which showed short-term effects of activity engagement on working memory performance appearing 6 h later, this study examined the mediating role of affective states in this process.

METHODS

For 7 times per day over 2 weeks, 150 Swiss older adults (aged 65-91 years) reported their present (sociocognitive/passive leisure) activities and affective states (high-arousal positive, low-arousal positive, high-arousal negative, and low-arousal negative) and completed an ambulatory working memory task on a smartphone.

RESULTS

Multilevel vector autoregression models showed that passive leisure activities were associated with worse working memory performance 6 h later. Passive leisure activities were negatively associated with concurrent high-arousal positive affect (and high-arousal negative affect); high-arousal positive affect was negatively associated with working memory performance 6 h later. A Sobel test showed a significant mediation effect of high-arousal positive affect linking the time-lagged relationship between passive leisure activities and working memory. Additionally, sociocognitive activities were associated with better working memory performance 6 h later. Sociocognitive activities were associated with concurrent higher high- and low-arousal positive affect, which, however, were not associated with working memory performance 6 h later. Thus, a mediation related to sociocognitive activities was not found.

DISCUSSION

Passive leisure activities could influence working memory performance through high-arousal positive affect within a timeframe of several hours. Results are discussed in relation to an emotional, and possibly a neuroendocrine, pathway explaining the time-lagged effects of affective states on working memory performance.

Activity engagement and cognitive function among chinese older adults: moderating roles of gender and age

BACKGROUND

Many studies have found that engaging in activities, including physical exercise, social interaction, and cognitive training, is beneficial for preventing cognitive decline among older adults; however, the demographic differences in the association between activity engagement and cognitive functions remain understudied. This study investigates: (a) the influence of activity engagement on cognitive functions among Chinese older adults, and (b) the moderating roles of age and gender in these associations .

METHODS

The data were derived from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study in 2018, which included 9803 participants aged 60 or older. A multiple regression model was used to test the study hypotheses.

RESULTS

Engaging in physical activity (b = 1.578, p < .001), social interaction (b = 1.199, p < .001), and cognitive activity (b = 1.468, p < .001) was positively associated with cognitive functions, whereas the effect of volunteer activities on cognitive functions was not significant (b = -.167, p = .390). Light- and moderate-intensity activities were beneficial for cognition (light: b = .847, p < .001; moderate: b = 1.189, p < .001), but vigorous-intensity activity was negatively related to cognition (b = -.767, p < .001). In addition, women and participants with advanced age appeared to benefit more from cognitive activities than their male and younger counterparts, respectively (gender: b = 1.217, p = .002; age: b = .086, p = .004). The adverse effects of vigorous-intensity activities (including agricultural work) on cognitive health were stronger for women and younger participants (gender: b = -1.472, p < .001; age: b = .115, p < .001). The protective effects of moderate-intensity activities on people's cognition increased with increasing age (b = .055, p = .012).

CONCLUSIONS

The findings indicate that participating in physical, social, and cognitive activities can help older adults to maintain cognitive health. They suggest that older adults should select activities while considering activity intensity and their individual characteristics.

A behavioural activation intervention to increase engagement with life and wellbeing in older adults: Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Meaningful activity engagement is a critical element of ageing well. Interventions designed to increase activity engagement tend to be activity-specific and do not always meet the needs of older adults with diverse interests and capacities. Behavioural activation (BA) provides a promising person-centred framework for promoting engagement in valued activities. This study will examine the effectiveness of a behavioural activation-based intervention for promoting engagement with life and wellbeing among older adults.

METHOD

Participants will be randomly allocated to one of two conditions (BA intervention, Active Control) and take part in a six-week intervention that consists of one-on-one weekly sessions of up to one hour to be administered either via telephone or online video conferencing with a trained facilitator. This study will recruit 120 + participants aged 65 + who score at or below the median on a test of life engagement. Participants will complete questionnaires of primary and secondary measures both pre-program, one-week and three months post-program. Participants will also complete a daily diary questionnaire during the fourth and fifth weeks of the intervention. The primary outcome measure is the Life Engagement Test, and secondary outcome measures include assessments of subjective wellbeing, psychological wellbeing, mental health, self-reported health, social engagement, loneliness and life satisfaction.

DISCUSSION

The outcomes from this study will provide evidence as to whether a BA based approach represents an effective method for promoting engagement with life and wellbeing among older community-dwelling adults.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (Reg no. ACTRN 12621001192875). Trial retrospectively registered 6th September, 2021.

Depressive Symptoms, Leisure Activity Engagement, and Global Cognition in Non-Hispanic Black and White Older Adults

OBJECTIVES

Prior research indicates that depressive symptoms disproportionately affect cognition in non-Hispanic Blacks relative to non-Hispanic Whites. Depressive symptoms have been linked to worse global cognition in older adulthood through lower leisure activity engagement, but less is known regarding the distinct types of activities that drive these associations and whether associations involving depressive symptoms, leisure activities, and cognition differ across racial groups.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study used data from the Michigan Cognitive Aging Project (n = 453, 52.80% Black, Mage = 63.60 years). Principal components analysis identified 6 subtypes of leisure activities (cognitive, creative, community, physical, children, and games). Mediation models examined whether distinct leisure activity subtypes mediated the association between depressive symptoms and performance on a comprehensive neuropsychological battery and whether race moderated these associations.

RESULTS

There were no racial differences in the level of depressive symptoms after adjusting for sociodemographic, socioeconomic, and health covariates. Only lower cognitive activity engagement mediated the negative association between depressive symptoms and global cognition. Multigroup models revealed that this indirect effect was only evident in Blacks, who showed a stronger negative association between depressive symptoms and cognitive activity engagement than Whites. After accounting for indirect effects, a direct effect of higher depressive symptoms on worse cognition remained and did not differ across racial groups.

DISCUSSION

Depressive symptoms may disproportionately affect cognition among Blacks through a greater negative impact on engagement in cognitively stimulating activities that have been shown to promote cognitive reserve. Additional research is necessary to identify other mechanisms linking depressive symptoms and cognition.

COVID-19: Are you satisfied with traveling during the pandemic?

The outbreak of COVID-19 and preventive measures to limit the spread of the virus has significantly impacted our daily activities. This study aims to investigate the effect of daily activity engagement including travel activity and sociodemographic characteristics on travel satisfaction during COVID-19. This study develops a latent segmentation-based ordered logit (LSOL) model using data from the 2020 COVID-19 Survey for Assessing Travel Impact (COST), for the Kelowna region of British Columbia, Canada. The LSOL model accommodates the ordinal nature of the satisfaction level and captures heterogeneity by allocating individuals into discrete latent segments. The model results suggest that the two-segment LSOL model fits the data best. Segment one is more likely to be younger and older high-income workers; whereas, segment two includes middle-aged lower-income, unemployed individuals. The model results suggest that daily activity engagement and sociodemographic attributes significantly affect travel satisfaction. For example, participation in travel for routine shopping, recreational activity, and household errands has a positive effect on travel satisfaction. The use of transportation modes like bike/walk depicted a higher probability to yield travel satisfaction. The model confirms the existence of significant heterogeneity. For instance, travel for work showed a negative relationship in segment one; whereas, a positive relationship is found in segment two. Access to higher household vehicle yield lower satisfaction in segment one; in contrast, a positive relationship is found in segment two. The findings of this study provide important insights towards maintaining the health and well-being of the population during this and any future pandemic crisis.

What Role Does Activity Engagement Play in the Association between Cognitive Frailty and Falls among Older Adults? Evidence from Rural Shandong, China

INTRODUCTION

Previous studies have demonstrated the relationship between cognitive frailty and falls among older adults. Activity engagement (AE) is known to be related to falls in older adults but the subject has been limited to empirical study. This study aimed to explore the mediating role of AE between cognitive frailty and falls among older adults in rural Shandong, China.

METHODS

A total of 3,242 rural seniors (age ≥60 years; 63.6% women) were included in this cross-sectional study. Regression and bootstrap analyses were performed to explore the mediating role of AE between cognitive frailty and falls.

RESULTS

The prevalence of falls was 13.1% and the prevalence of cognitive frailty was 6.6% among the participants. AE mediated the association between cognitive frailty and falls (95% CI 0.077-0.223). However, the direct effect was no longer significant after being adjusted for AE (95% CI -0.037 to 0.684; p = 0.078).

CONCLUSION

Cognitive frailty was found to be associated with falls among rural older adults, and AE mediated this association. More attention should be paid to promote AE among Chinese rural older adults with cognitive frailty.

Parkinsonian Symptoms, Not Dyskinesia, Negatively Affect Active Life Participation of Dyskinetic Patients with Parkinson's Disease

Background:

The impact of slight-to-moderate levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID) on the level of participation in active life in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) has never been objectively determined.

Methods:

Levels of LID, tremor and bradykinesia were measured during best-ON state in 121 patients diagnosed with PD and having peak-dose LID using inertial sensors positioned on each body limb. Rigidity and postural instability were assessed using clinical evaluations. Cognition and depression were assessed using the MMSE and the GDS-15. Participation in active life was assessed in patients and in 69 healthy controls using the Activity Card Sort (ACS), which measures levels of activity engagement and activities affected by the symptomatology. Outcome measures were compared between patients and controls using ANCOVA, controlling for age or Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney tests. Spearman correlations and multivariate analyses were then performed between symptomatology and ACS scores.

Results:

Patients had significantly lower activity engagement than controls and had significantly affected activities. LID was neither associated with activity engagement nor affected activities. Higher levels of tremor, postural instability, cognitive decline and depression were associated with lower activity engagement and higher affected activities. Multivariate analyses revealed that only tremor, postural instability and depression accounted significantly in the variances of these variables.

Discussion:

Slight-to-moderate LID had little impact compared to other symptoms on the level of participation in active life, suggesting that other symptoms should remain the treatment priority to maintain the level of participation of patients in an active lifestyle.

Positive neuropsychology: The science and practice of promoting cognitive health

Positive psychology has influenced multiple subfields within psychology and areas outside of psychology. While positive psychology's focus on positive mental health and character strengths did not appear to meaningfully impact neuropsychology in its earlier stages, more recent indications suggest that the neuropsychological literature, and perhaps the field as a whole, has begun to embrace related research and practice applications. In this context, positive neuropsychology has emerged as a neuropsychological orientation focused on the study and practice of promoting cognitive health. The present review discusses the origins of positive neuropsychology and elaborates on its six key evidence-based domains: compensatory strategy use, activity engagement, prevention of cognitive impairment, public education, exceptional cognition, and positive cognitive outcomes in neuropsychiatric populations. This broad perspective on cognitive wellness can easily be embraced by both clinicians and researchers and offers multiple directions for future growth. Ultimately, consideration of various methods to promote cognitive health can inform our understanding of optimal brain function, maximize functioning in individuals with cognitive limitations, and enhance quality of life among populations served by neuropsychologists.

Pain catastrophizing, activity engagement and pain willingness as predictors of the benefits of multidisciplinary cognitive behaviorally-based chronic pain treatment

Pain catastrophizing and pain acceptance have been shown to be associated with improvements after participation in cognitive behaviorally-based treatment (CBT) for chronic pain. However, it is not yet clear how important each of these factors is relative to the other. Furthermore, it is also not clear if multidisciplinary pain treatment has the same impact on the two primary dimensions of pain acceptance (activity engagement and pain willingness), and whether their role in explaining treatment outcome differs as a function of the outcomes under study. The aim of this study was to examine the relative importance of changes in pain catastrophizing, activity engagement and pain willingness as predictors of the benefits of a multidisciplinary CBT for chronic pain. 186 adults with chronic pain participated. Pain catastrophizing and activity engagement, but not pain willingness, were significantly associated with treatment outcome. Moreover, each one evidenced different patterns of associations with outcomes. Specifically, while changes in both were associated with improvements in depressive symptoms, only catastrophizing was associated with improvements in pain intensity and only activity engagement was associated with improvements in pain-related disability.

The Role of Leisure Activities in Mediating the Relationship between Physical Health and Well-Being: Differential Patterns in Old and Very Old Age

BACKGROUND

Recently, Paggi et al. [Gerontology 2016;62:450-458] for the very first time showed in a cross-sectional sample of 259 adults aged 18-81 years that the relation of physical health to psychological well-being was mediated via frequency of leisure activity participation.

OBJECTIVE

To extend this framework, we followed theories on successful aging and vulnerability to propose to add a differential perspective predicting that certain individuals may be more vulnerable than others and therefore may show differences in the mediation pattern. Specifically, we examined whether mediation patterns were differential in certain populations, such as in old-old (compared to young-old) adults and in individuals who carried out a low (compared to those with a high) number of activities.

METHODS

We analyzed data from 3,080 individuals on physical health (number of chronic diseases, subjective health status, and subjective evaluation of change in health over the last 10 years), frequency of participation in 18 leisure activities, and physical and psychological well-being using moderated mediation models with a path model approach that allowed the simultaneous estimation of all model paths, including their significance.

RESULTS

We found that the relation of physical health to physical and psychological well-being was mediated via frequency of activity participation. For physical (but not for psychological) well-being, this mediation was more pronounced in old-old (compared to young-old) adults and in individuals who carried out a low (compared to those with a high) number of activities. These moderated mediations were attributable to differential relations of physical health to frequency of activity participation and to differential relations of frequency of activity participation to physical well-being between the investigated moderator levels.

CONCLUSION

Present data suggest that participation in leisure activities may play a key role in mediating the relationship between physical health and well-being, particularly in very old age. Findings are discussed with respect to theories of successful aging and differences between physical and psychological well-being.

The Relationship of Social Engagement and Social Support With Sense of Community

Background

We aimed to investigate the relationship of engagement in social and cognitive activities and social support with the sense of community (SOC) and its components among older Chinese Americans.

Methods

The Sense of Community Index (SCI) was used to measure SOC and its four component factors: membership, influence, needs fulfillment, and emotional connection. Social engagement was assessed with 16 questions. Social support included positive support and negative strain. Principal component analysis was used to identify the SCI components. Linear regression analysis was used to detect the contribution of social engagement and social support to SOC and its components.

Results

After controlling for sociodemographics and self-rated health, social activity engagement and positive social support were positively related to SOC and its components.

Conclusions

This study points to the importance of social activity engagement and positive support from family and friends in increasing the sense of community.

The relation of the number of languages spoken to performance in different cognitive abilities in old age

INTRODUCTION

Findings on the association of speaking different languages with cognitive functioning in old age are inconsistent and inconclusive so far. Therefore, the present study set out to investigate the relation of the number of languages spoken to cognitive performance and its interplay with several other markers of cognitive reserve in a large sample of older adults.

METHOD

Two thousand eight hundred and twelve older adults served as sample for the present study. Psychometric tests on verbal abilities, basic processing speed, and cognitive flexibility were administered. In addition, individuals were interviewed on their different languages spoken on a regular basis, educational attainment, occupation, and engaging in different activities throughout adulthood.

RESULTS

Higher number of languages regularly spoken was significantly associated with better performance in verbal abilities and processing speed, but unrelated to cognitive flexibility. Regression analyses showed that the number of languages spoken predicted cognitive performance over and above leisure activities/physical demand of job/gainful activity as respective additional predictor, but not over and above educational attainment/cognitive level of job as respective additional predictor. There was no significant moderation of the association of the number of languages spoken with cognitive performance in any model.

CONCLUSIONS

Present data suggest that speaking different languages on a regular basis may additionally contribute to the build-up of cognitive reserve in old age. Yet, this may not be universal, but linked to verbal abilities and basic cognitive processing speed. Moreover, it may be dependent on other types of cognitive stimulation that individuals also engaged in during their life course.

Activity engagement of aging retirees in South Korea

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to analyze the activity engagement of the retiree population in South Korea. [Methods] The Korean-Activity Card Sort (K-ACS) was used to collect research data. A One-way ANOVA and post-hoc comparisons showed significant group effects among three age groups. The independent t-tests was used to analyze the differences in mean retained level of activity (MRA) between men and women. [Results] The one-way ANOVA showed statistically significant differences in MRA among different age groups. Scheffé’s test revealed a statistically significant decrease in MRA in Group A, aged more than 75 years, as compared to the other two age groups. When participants were divided by gender, MRA of instrumental activities showed a statistically significant difference between the 65–74 years group and the 55–65 years group, but no difference in females of the leisure activities among the age groups. The independent t-tests demonstrated significant gender differences in MRA of activity of the 55–64 years group. [Conclusion] These findings suggest that health professionals should monitor the changes in retained level of activity after age 75, to maintain their engagement, and the importance of age-, gender- and activity-specific analyses in order to identifying patterns of activity engagement.