The harmonisation of longitudinal data: a case study using data from cohort studies in The Netherlands and the United Kingdom

This paper presents a case study of the challenges and requirements associated with harmonising data from two independently-conceived datasets from The Netherlands and the United Kingdom: the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA) and the Nottingham Longitudinal Study of Activity and Ageing (NLSAA). The objectives were to create equivalent samples and variables, and to identify the methodological differences that affect the comparability of the samples. Data are available from the two studies' 1992–93 surveys for respondents born during 1908–20, and the common data set had 1,768 records and enabled the creation of 26 harmonised variables in the following domains: demographic composition and personal finances, physical health, mental health and loneliness, contacts with health services, physical activity, religious attendance and pet ownership. The ways in which the methodological differences between the two studies and their different selective attrition might lead to sample differences were carefully considered. It was concluded that the challenges of conducting cross-national comparative research using independent datasets include differences in sampling, study design, measurement instruments, response rates and selective attrition. To reach conclusions from any comparative study about substantive socio-cultural differences, these challenges must first be identified and addressed

Prayer and depressive symptoms in a period of secularization: Patterns among older adults in the Netherlands

Objective: Prayer is generally recognized as an important aspect of religiousness. Relatively few empiric studies examined the relation between prayer and depressive symptoms in later life, and findings so far are mixed. Method: Respondents, aged 60ĝ€"91 years, participated in the third (N ≤ 1,702) and fourths (N ≤ 1,346) assessment cycles, with three-year intervals, of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam. Data were collected on frequency of prayer, perceived meaningfulness of prayer, religious affiliation, church attendance, salience of religion, demographics, and health variables. Depressive symptoms were assessed with the Center for Epidemiologic Studiesĝ€"Depression Scale. Results: In the total sample, there was no significant association between frequency of prayer and depressive symptoms. Among those who were not religiously affiliated, prayer was associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms. The results were particularly pronounced among nonaffiliated widowed respondents; odds ratio for praying daily associated with having Center for Epidemiologic Studiesĝ€" Depression Scale scores of 16 and higher amounted to 3.59 (99% confidence interval: 1.01ĝ€"11.79). At three-year follow up, prayer did not predict change of depressive symptoms. Conclusions: As secularization in Western Europe progresses, the current results suggest that clinical exploration of private religiousness among older patients remains relevant, also among people who seem to be less religious

Multiple domains of functioning in older adults during the pandemic: design and basic characteristics of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam COVID-19 questionnaire

The Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA) is an ongoing cohort study among older adults in the Netherlands. Respondents are usually interviewed approximately every 3 years. Because of the exceptional situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was decided to add an extra assessment in between, consisting of a postal/digital questionnaire with measures assessing the impact of the COVID-19 situation, as well as a selection of measures from regular LASA measurement cycles covering the physical, social and mental domains. In total, 1128 LASA respondents aged 62–102 years provided data, just after the first wave of the pandemic in 2020. This paper describes the methods and design of the LASA COVID-19 questionnaire, as well as the basic characteristics of the sample, including an overview of impactful situations experienced by older adults during the first months of the pandemic. The data of the questionnaire may be used to study the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on multiple domains of functioning in older adults