Impact of Retirement on Mental Health.

INTRODUCTION: One of the most significant events in the life of the aging man is retirement. Even though retirement brings about some expected disruptions in the life of a person, it is obvious that some are more affected than others are (Atchley, 1976). Retirement is clearly listed as one of the stressful life events where a person feels discriminated from society and has to undergo numerous readjustments. It is then but natural to experience symptoms of anxiety, depression, frustration, diminished sense of worth, shattered self-esteem and morale. Studies done by Dhillon and Milbander (1992) showed that retired men were more tense, anxious and psychologically demoralized than working men. As Cox (1984) states that on one hand, retirement is viewed as a well deserved right earned by long years of hard work in a particular occupation and on the other hand there is a tacit feeling that one is being forced out of a chosen career and the opportunity for gainful employment. These views are held mostly for mandatory retirement. The dictionary meaning of the term to retire is "to retreat, to recede, to withdraw from society, office, public or active life" and retirement as "an act of retiring". Since the term retirement implies withdrawal from society, active life, work and career, there are paradoxical views on it in the minds of people. It is felt that chronological age is a poor indicator of the ability to determine between work and mandatory retirement. Retirement is viewed as a period of crisis and adjustment where a number of problems confront the individual. Cox (1984) states that some of the problems are lowering of income, loss of status, loss of privilege, reorganization of daily activities, changing perception of self, social isolation and a sense of meaninglessness. However Streib and Schneider (1971) obtained contrary research findings. They found that although retirees experienced a sharp drop in income, they did not feel a decline in status of class. There are various types of retirement such as normal retirement or superannuation, early retirement and voluntary retirement. In the Indian industrial sector, the word voluntary retirement received legislative recognition in 1953 when the definition of retirement was engrafted in the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947. In India the age of retirement is 58 - 60 years. Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) or "Golden handshake" has become one of the ways of dealing with redundant human resources in an organization. Thus VRS is a situation where the employee discontinues from job before stipulated age. People accept VRS because of an uncertain future, financial needs, ill health, and dissatisfaction with the Jobs or allurement by management. Various studies done by Atchley (1976) and Indian studies by Gupte, Kumar et al (1994) show that majority faced repentance, unemployment because of lack of specialized skills, frustration, economic hardship and a bleak long term future. In India where per capita income is low and unemployment levels are high, VRS further aggravates the situation by adding to the unemployed population. The people most severely affected are the semiskilled or unskilled workers of middle income group as they are the target population. This population faces more psychiatric morbidity than normal retired population because of the suddenness of the situation and more fruitful years of their life wasted in unemployment and inability to get jobs at the same salary level (Walker, 1985). Simpson (1966) states that work is one of most important avenues for integrating the individual into the social system by giving him or her an identity, style of life and social participation pattern. Work places the individual and his family in the hierarchy of the social structure. Thus retirement is viewed as being forced out of a chosen career and gainful employment (Cox 1984). At this phase of life, various stressful life events and readjustments occur. People in general and retirees in particular are emotionally, socially and sometimes financially and physically dependent on others. At the twilight of life, individuals from all occupations face Various stressors. These stressors can be dealt with in an astute manner by the retired and working populations greater than the age of 60 years due to the supportive family system in India. But the resolutions of these stressors and the contentment of life that a working population achieves will be slightly higher because they are involved in productive tasks, are occupied and thus active, both physically and mentally. This makes them feel more independent, confident and capable of solving their personal and social problems. As mentioned earlier, at the time of retirement, a person faces sudden changes in one's lifestyle. The changes are seen from the daily routine to active interests. Retirement also leads to change in the feeling of confidence and personal worth as they are cut off from participating in the most important interests and activities of society (Aldrich and Lipman, 1976). Therefore it was felt necessary to analyze self esteem and life satisfaction of the individuals in the present research. It is believed that due to our philosophical attitudes and family structure, the aged in India are able to bear the losses in life without suffering from depression. Contrary to this common belief, various community surveys have revealed that depression is the most common psychiatric disorder in late life. Ramchandran and Palaniappan (1983) in a geropsychiatric community survey in Chennai found 24% of subjects Aged 60 years and above suffering from depression. Retirement is taken as one of the stressful life events leading to psychiatric morbidity. This study further explores the extent of psychiatric morbidity (depression) between types of retirement and working population. In gerontology, adjustment means a bad effect to internal as well as external equilibrium of the humans (Rosow, 1963). The retired population is more susceptible to adjustment problems as compared to working elderly populations, especially in the areas of health, home, self, emotional and social life (Bose, 1982). Therefore the need was felt to explore the level of adjustment in the various areas mentioned above. India being a developing country, the status of aged women has not been equal with the status of aged men in the familial, sociological and psychological spheres. Despite the increasing inroads in education and technology, the familial status doesn't seem to have undergone any radical changes (Jamuna, 1989). In the past few years, women have crossed the threshold of their homes and have started working. Studying gender differences in the aspects of adjustment, life satisfaction, depression and self-esteem was essential to the study

Diffusion tensor imaging parameters in mild traumatic brain injury and its correlation with early neuropsychological impairment: a longitudinal study

We explored the prognostic value of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) parameters of selected white matter (WM) tracts in predicting neuropsychological outcome, both at baseline and 6 months later, among well-characterized patients diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Sixty-one patients with mTBI (mean age=27.08; standard deviation [SD], 8.55) underwent scanning at an average of 10 h (SD, 4.26) post-trauma along with assessment of their neuropsychological performance at an average of 4.35 h (SD, 7.08) upon full Glasgow Coma Scale recovery. Results were then compared to 19 healthy control participants (mean age=29.05; SD, 5.84), both in the acute stage and 6 months post-trauma. DTI and neuropsychological measures between acute and chronic phases were compared, and significant differences emerged. Specifically, chronic-phase fractional anisotropy and radial diffusivity values showed significant group differences in the corona radiata, anterior limb of internal capsule, cingulum, superior longitudinal fasciculus, optic radiation, and genu of corpus callosum. Findings also demonstrated associations between DTI indices and neuropsychological outcome across two time points. Our results provide new evidence for the use of DTI as an imaging biomarker and indicator of WM damage occurring in the context of mTBI, and they underscore the dynamic nature of brain injury and possible biological basis of chronic neurocognitive alterations

Nanophytoremediation: An Overview of Novel and Sustainable Biological Advancement

Increased threat of metals simultaneous to the biota well-being and the environs is continually causing a major apprehension worldwide. The phytoremediation technique is highly advantageous involving the natural processes of plants viz., translocation, evapotranspiration, and bioaccumulation, thus degrading contaminants slowly. In particular, nanophytoremediation is a rapid green alternative as it reduces the ancillary impacts of the environment such as green gas emissions, waste generation, and natural resource consumption to the present scenario as there is a great potential of nanoparticles from plants which can be synthesized. Nanophytoremediation is a current methodology for remediation of pollutants, contaminants by using synthesized nanoparticles from plants. In this, the use of different strategies enhances the selective uptake capabilities of plants. The metal elements in excess are affecting the physiological processes in plants; thus, it is necessary to apply nanophytoremediation technology through transgenic plants. In this review paper, we focused on plant species, which can be used as metal tolerant, hyperaccumulators. Due to the insurmountable pressure of a sustainable cleaner environment, bioremediation can be concurrent with nanoparticles for efficient and effective sustainable measures

Purification and characterization of chitinase from Alcaligenes faecalis AU02 by utilizing marine wastes and its antioxidant activity

Marine waste is an abundant renewable source for the recovery of several value added metabolites with potential industrial applications. This study describes the production of chitinase on marine waste, with the subsequent use of the same marine waste for the extraction of antioxidants. A chitinase-producing bacterium isolated from seafood effluent was identified as Alcaligenes faecalis AU02. Optimal chitinase production was obtained in culture conditions of 37°C for 72 h in 100 ml medium containing 1% shrimp and crab shell powder (1:1) (w/v), 0.1% K2HPO4, and 0.05% MgSO4·7H2O. The molecular weight of chitinase was determined by SDS-PAGE to be 36 kDa. The optimum pH, temperature, pH stability, and thermal stability of chitinase were about 8, 37°C, 5–12, and 40–80°C, respectively. The antioxidant activity of A. faecalis AU02 culture supernatant was determined through scavenging ability on 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) as 84%, and the antioxidant compound was characterized by TLC and its FT-IR spectrum. The present study proposed that marine wastes can be utilized to generate a high-value-added product and that pharmacological studies can extend its use to the field of medicine

Using a Modelling Language to Describe the Quality of Life Goals of People Living with Dementia

Although now well established, our information systems engineering theories and methods are applied only rarely in disciplines beyond systems development. This paper reports the application of the i* goal modelling language to describe the types of and relationships between quality of life goals of people living with dementia. Published social care frameworks to manage and improve the lives of people with dementia were reviewed to synthesize, for the first time, a comprehensive conceptual model of the types of goals of people living with dementia. Although the quality of life goal model was developed in order to construct automated reasoning capabilities in a new digital toolset that people with dementia can use for life planning, the multi-stage modelling exercise provided valuable insights into quality of life and dementia care practices of both researchers and experienced practitioners in the field

Missense mutation of Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) alters neurocognitive performance in patients with mild traumatic brain injury: a longitudinal study

The predictability of neurocognitive outcomes in patients with traumatic brain injury is not straightforward. The extent and nature of recovery in patients with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) are usually heterogeneous and not substantially explained by the commonly known demographic and injury-related prognostic factors despite having sustained similar injuries or injury severity. Hence, this study evaluated the effects and association of the Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) missense mutations in relation to neurocognitive performance among patients with mTBI. 48 patients with mTBI were prospectively recruited and MRI scans of the brain were performed within an average 10.1 (SD 4.2) hours post trauma with assessment of their neuropsychological performance post full Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) recovery. Neurocognitive assessments were repeated again at 6 months follow-up. The paired t-test, Cohen’s d effect size and repeated measure ANOVA were performed to delineate statistically significant differences between the groups [wildtype G allele (Val homozygotes) vs. minor A allele (Met carriers)] and their neuropsychological performance across the time point (T1 = baseline/ admission vs. T2 = 6th month follow-up). Minor A allele carriers in this study generally performed more poorly on neuropsychological testing in comparison wildtype G allele group at both time points. Significant mean differences were observed among the wildtype group in the domains of memory (M = -11.44, SD = 10.0, p = .01, d = 1.22), executive function (M = -11.56, SD = 11.7, p = .02, d = 1.05) and overall performance (M = -6.89 SD = 5.3, p = .00, d = 1.39), while the minor A allele carriers showed significant mean differences in the domains of attention (M = -11.0, SD = 13.1, p = .00, d = .86) and overall cognitive performance (M = -5.25, SD = 8.1, p = .01, d = .66).The minor A allele carriers in comparison to the wildtype G allele group, showed considerably lower scores at admission and remained impaired in most domains across the timepoints, although delayed signs of recovery were noted to be significant in the domains attention and overall cognition. In conclusion, the current study has demonstrated the role of the BDNF rs6265 Val66Met polymorphism in influencing specific neurocognitive outcomes in patients with mTBI. Findings were more detrimentally profound among Met allele carriers

Need for recovery amongst emergency physicians in the UK and Ireland: A cross-sectional survey

OBJECTIVES: To determine the need for recovery (NFR) among emergency physicians and to identify demographic and occupational characteristics associated with higher NFR scores. DESIGN: Cross-sectional electronic survey. SETTING: Emergency departments (EDs) (n=112) in the UK and Ireland. PARTICIPANTS: Emergency physicians, defined as any registered physician working principally within the ED, responding between June and July 2019. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: NFR Scale, an 11-item self-administered questionnaire that assesses how work demands affect intershift recovery. RESULTS: The median NFR Score for all 4247 eligible, consented participants with a valid NFR Score was 70.0 (95% CI: 65.5 to 74.5), with an IQR of 45.5-90.0. A linear regression model indicated statistically significant associations between gender, health conditions, type of ED, clinical grade, access to annual and study leave, and time spent working out-of-hours. Groups including male physicians, consultants, general practitioners (GPs) within the ED, those working in paediatric EDs and those with no long-term health condition or disability had a lower NFR Score. After adjusting for these characteristics, the NFR Score increased by 3.7 (95% CI: 0.3 to 7.1) and 6.43 (95% CI: 2.0 to 10.8) for those with difficulty accessing annual and study leave, respectively. Increased percentage of out-of-hours work increased NFR Score almost linearly: 26%-50% out-of-hours work=5.7 (95% CI: 3.1 to 8.4); 51%-75% out-of-hours work=10.3 (95% CI: 7.6 to 13.0); 76%-100% out-of-hours work=14.5 (95% CI: 11.0 to 17.9). CONCLUSION: Higher NFR scores were observed among emergency physicians than reported in any other profession or population to date. While out-of-hours working is unavoidable, the linear relationship observed suggests that any reduction may result in NFR improvement. Evidence-based strategies to improve well-being such as proportional out-of-hours working and improved access to annual and study leave should be carefully considered and implemented where feasible