The course of depression in late life: A longitudinal perspective

Depression in old age deserves special attention in view of the fact of progressive population ageing, because of the way in which depression and risk factors interact in this period of life and the particularly negative impact of late-life depression on health and quality of life. This editorial aims to provide some insight into longitudinal aspects of depression in old age. Depression may follow varying trajectories (e.g. episode emergence, recurrence) across the lifespan. Late-life depression is not an exception. A symptom-based approach is presented as an appropriate research method to study the predictors and course of affective syndromes in old age. Findings from our studies on depressive symptom trajectories in old age revealed that participants with a course of unremitting elevated symptoms showed the highest levels of loneliness across the trajectory groups and that participants with subclinical symptoms also showed higher levels of loneliness than their counterparts with a minimal-symptom course trajectory. This highlights the need to address loneliness as a way of dealing with depression in old age.This work was supported by the 5-year Ageing Trajectories of Health: Longitudinal Opportunities and Synergies (ATHLOS) project. The ATHLOS project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 635316; Instituto de Salud Carlos III-FIS under grant number PI16/00218; and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM)

Validity of the PARADISE24 questionnaire in people with substance use disorders : A measure to assess psychosocial difficulties

Objectives: Psychosocial difficulties (PSDs) are common in people with substance use disorders (SUDs). The PARADISE24 has been shown to be an adequate tool for measuring PSDs in inpatients with SUDs. The aim of this study is to evaluate the psychometric properties of the PARADISE24 in a sample of patients with SUDs. Methods: 2637 participants with SUDs completed the PARADISE24 questionnaire during their treatment. The latent structure of the PARADISE24 questionnaire was analyzed in the outpatient sample by means of exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (EFA and CFA). Metric invariance was then assessed in relation to the inpatient sample using multiple group CFA. Finally, evidences of known-groups validity were checked to test the ability of the questionnaire to differentiate between socio-demographic and clinical groups. Results: The one-factor model presented an adequate fit in both the EFA (CFI = 0.98; TLI = 0.98; RMSEA = 0.07) and the CFA (CFI = 0.98; TLI = 0.98; RMSEA = 0.07) solutions. The reliability of the scale was found to be high (alpha = 0.93). Strict metric invariance between inpatients and outpatients was achieved (RMSEA = 0.063; TLI = 0.983; CFI = 0.981). The PARADISE24 was able to discriminate between the inpatients and outpatients at both latent (d = 0.98) and observed levels (d = 0.86). Conclusions: The PARADISE24 is a unidimensional tool that is reliable for assessing and comparing PSDs in both outpatients and inpatients with SUDs. Further research is required for evaluating the ability of the PARADISE24 to quantify longitudinal changes in PSDs.Peer reviewe

Onderwijskwaliteit aan Nederlandse universiteiten

In discussies over de onderwijskwaliteit wordt continu beweerd dat deze daalt. In dit onderzoek wordt aangetoond dat er juist een stijging is van de ervaren onderwijskwaliteit. Een verdere stijging kan vooral worden gerealiseerd door het primaire onderwijsproces te verbeteren

Gender-related differences in the multi-pathway effect of social determinants on quality of life in older age-the COURAGE in Europe project

Purpose Gender-related diferences in life expectancy, prevalence of chronic conditions and level of disability in the process of ageing have been broadly described. Less is known about social determinants, which may have diferent impacts on quality of life in men and women. The investigation aims to reveal gender-related diferences in social determinants on quality of life assessed by a multi-pathway model including health, social, demographic and living place characteristics. Methods The study group consisted of 5099 participants aged 50+ representing general populations of three diferent European regions (Finland, Poland, Spain) who participated in COURAGE in EUROPE Project. Standardized tools were used to measure quality of life (WHOQOLAGE) and social determinants (COURAGE Social Network Index, OSLO-3 Social Support Scale, UCLA Loneliness Scale, participation scale and trust). A multipath model considering exogenous predictors (demographic, economic), mediators (social) and endogenous outcom

Chronic conditions and sleep problems among adults Aged 50 years or over in nine countries : a multi-country study

Data on the association between chronic conditions or the number of chronic conditions and sleep problems in low- or middle-income countries is scarce, and global comparisons of these associations with high-income countries have not been conducted.Data on 42116 individuals 50 years and older from nationally-representative samples of the Collaborative Research on Ageing in Europe (Finland, Poland, Spain) and the World Health Organization's Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russia, South Africa) conducted between 2011-2012 and 2007-2010 respectively were analyzed.The association between nine chronic conditions (angina, arthritis, asthma, chronic lung disease, depression, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and stroke) and self-reported severe/extreme sleep problems in the past 30 days was estimated by logistic regression with multiple variables. The age-adjusted prevalence of sleep problems ranged from 2.8% (China) to 17.0% (Poland). After adjustment for confounders, angina (OR 1.75-2.78), arthritis (OR 1.39-2.46), and depression (OR 1.75-5.12) were significantly associated with sleep problems in the majority or all of the countries. Sleep problems were also significantly associated with: asthma in Finland, Spain, and India; chronic lung disease in Poland, Spain, Ghana, and South Africa; diabetes in India; and stroke in China, Ghana, and India. A linear dose-dependent relationship between the number of chronic conditions and sleep problems was observed in all countries. Compared to no chronic conditions, the OR (95%CI) for 1,2,3, and ≥ 4 chronic conditions was 1.41 (1.09-1.82), 2.55 (1.99-3.27), 3.22 (2.52-4.11), and 7.62 (5.88-9.87) respectively in the overall sample.Identifying co-existing sleep problems among patients with chronic conditions and treating them simultaneously may lead to better treatment outcome. Clinicians should be aware of the high risk for sleep problems among patients with multimorbidity. Future studies are needed to elucidate the best treatment options for comorbid sleep problems especially in developing country settings

Health and happiness : cross-sectional household surveys in Finland, Poland and Spain

OBJECTIVE: To explore the associations between health and how people evaluate and experience their lives. METHODS: We analysed data from nationally-representative household surveys originally conducted in 2011–2012 in Finland, Poland and Spain. These surveys provided information on 10 800 adults, for whom experienced well-being was measured using the Day Reconstruction Method and evaluative well-being was measured with the Cantril Self-Anchoring Striving Scale. Health status was assessed by questions in eight domains including mobility and self-care. We used multiple linear regression, structural equation models and multiple indicators/multiple causes models to explore factors associated with experienced and evaluative well-being. FINDINGS: The multiple indicator/multiple causes model conducted over the pooled sample showed that respondents with younger age (effect size, β = 0.19), with higher levels of education (β = −0.12), a history of depression (β = −0.17), poor health status (β = 0.29) or poor cognitive functioning (β = 0.09) reported worse experienced well-being. Additional factors associated with worse evaluative well-being were male sex (β = −0.03), not living with a partner (β = 0.07), and lower occupational (β = −0.07) or income levels (β = 0.08). Health status was the factor most strongly correlated with both experienced and evaluative well-being, even after controlling for a history of depression, age, income and other sociodemographic variables. CONCLUSION: Health status is an important correlate of well-being. Therefore, strategies to improve population health would also improve people’s well-being

Factors associated with skeletal muscle mass, sarcopenia, and sarcopenic obesity in older adults : a multi-continent study

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the factors associated with low skeletal muscle mass (SMM), sarcopenia, and sarcopenic obesity using nationally representative samples of people aged ≥65 years from diverse geographical regions of the world. METHODS: Data were available for 18 363 people aged ≥65 years who participated in the Collaborative Research on Ageing in Europe survey conducted in Finland, Poland, and Spain, and the World Health Organization Study on global AGEing and adult health survey conducted in China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russia, and South Africa, between 2007 and 2012. A skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) was created to reflect SMM. SMM, SMI, and percent body fat (%BF) were calculated with specific indirect population formulas. These estimates were based on age, sex, weight, height, and race. Sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity were defined with specific cut‐offs. RESULTS: The prevalence of sarcopenia ranged from 12.6% (Poland) to 17.5% (India), and that of sarcopenic obesity ranged from 1.3% (India) to 11.0% (Spain). Higher %BF was associated with lower SMM in all countries, and with sarcopenia in five countries (p < 0.001). Compared to high levels of physical activity, low levels were related with higher odds for sarcopenia [OR 1.36 (95%CI 1.11–1.67)] and sarcopenic obesity [OR 1.80 (95%CI 1.23–2.64)] in the overall sample. Also, a dose‐dependent association between higher numbers of chronic diseases and sarcopenic obesity was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Physical activity and body composition changes such as high %BF are key factors for the prevention of sarcopenia syndrome

The role of socio-economic status in depression : results from the COURAGE (aging survey in Europe)

Abstract Background Low socio-economic status (SES) has been found to be associated with a higher prevalence of depression. However, studies that have investigated this association have been limited in their national scope, have analyzed different components of SES separately, and have not used standardized definitions or measurements across populations. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the association between SES and depression across three European countries that represent different regions across Europe, using standardized procedures and measurements and a composite score for SES. Method Nationally-representative data on 10,800 individuals aged ≥18 from the Collaborative Research on Ageing in Europe (COURAGE) survey conducted in Finland, Poland and Spain were analyzed in this cross-sectional study. An adapted version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview was used to identify the presence of depression, and SES was computed by using the combined scores of the total number of years educated (0–22) and the quintiles of the country-specific income level of the household (1–5). Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the association between SES and depression. Results Findings reveal a significant association between depression and SES across all countries (p ≤ 0.001). After adjusting for confounders, the odds of depression were significantly decreased for every unit increase in the SES index for Finland, Poland and Spain. Additionally, higher education significantly decreased the odds for depression in each country, but income did not. Conclusion The SES index seems to predict depression symptomatology across European countries. Taking SES into account may be an important factor in the development of depression prevention strategies across Europe

Strengthening mental health systems in low- and middle-income countries: recommendations from the Emerald programme

This paper provides a set of proposed recommendations for mental health system strengthening in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) that have arisen from the ‘Emerging mental health systems in LMICs’ (Emerald) research programme. Emerald was implemented in six LMICs in Africa and Asia (Ethiopia, India, Nepal, Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda) over a five-year period (2012-2017), and aimed to improve mental health outcomes in the six countries by building capacity and generating evidence to enhance health system strengthening. The proposed recommendations align closely with the World Health Organization’s key health system strengthening ‘building blocks’ of governance, financing, human resource development, service provision and information systems; knowledge transfer is included as an additional cross-cutting component. Specific recommendations are made in the paper for each of these building blocks based on the body of data that were collected and analysed during Emerald. These recommendations are relevant not only to the six countries in which their evidential basis was generated, but also to other LMICs; they may also be generalizable to other non-communicable diseases beyond mental, neurological or substance use disorders

Research Recommendations for Improving Measurement of Treatment Effectiveness in Depression

Background: Despite the steadily escalating psychological and economic burden of depression, there is a lack of evidence for the effectiveness of available interventions on functioning areas beyond symptomatology. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to give an insight into the current measurement of treatment effectiveness in depression and to provide recommendations for its improvement. Materials and Methods: The study was based on a multi-informant approach, comparing data from a systematic literature review, an expert survey with representatives from clinical practice (130), and qualitative interviews with patients (11) experiencing depression. Results: Current literature places emphasis on symptomatic outcomes and neglects other domains of functioning, whereas clinicians and depressed patients highlight the importance of both. Interpersonal relationships, recreation and daily activities, communication, social participation, work difficulties were identified as being crucial for recovery. Personal factors, neglected by the literature, such as self-efficacy were introduced by experts and patients. Furthermore, clinicians and patients identified a number of differences regarding the areas improved by psychotherapeutic or pharmacological interventions that were not addressed by the pertinent literature. Conclusion: Creation of a new cross-nationally applicable measure of psychosocial functioning, broader remission criteria, report of domain-specific information, and a personalized approach in treatment decision-making are the first crucial steps needed for the improvement of the measurement of treatment effectiveness in depression. A better measurement will facilitate the clinical decision making and answer the escalating burden of depression