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The Journals of Gerontology. Series B,... Nov 2021Widowhood is a stressful life event with one of the most profound negative effects on health and longevity. Immigrant populations are growing and aging throughout...
OBJECTIVES
Widowhood is a stressful life event with one of the most profound negative effects on health and longevity. Immigrant populations are growing and aging throughout Western nations, and marginalization and cultural differences may make some immigrants especially vulnerable to the stressors of widowhood. However, studies have yet to systematically explore whether the widowhood effect differs between immigrant and native-born individuals.
METHODS
Using Danish population register data from 1980 to 2014, this study assesses whether the relationship between widowhood and mortality differs between immigrants from 10 countries and native-born Danes aged 50 and older at 0-2, 3-5, and 6 and more years post-widowhood.
RESULTS
We find that immigrant men are at higher risk of dying in the first 2 years after experiencing widowhood than Danish-born men, but these mortality differences dissipate over longer periods. Immigrant women have a higher risk of having died 3 and more years after a spouse's death than Danish women. Patterns vary further by country of origin.
DISCUSSION
The results suggest that some immigrants may suffer more from widowhood than native-born individuals, giving insight into how immigration background may influence the health effects of negative life events. They also underscore the potential vulnerabilities of aging immigrant populations to stressors encountered in older age.
Topics: Aged; Cultural Characteristics; Denmark; Emigrants and Immigrants; Female; Humans; Indigenous Peoples; Life Change Events; Male; Middle Aged; Mortality; Sex Factors; Social Marginalization; Stress, Psychological; Vulnerable Populations; Widowhood
PubMed: 34313712
DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbab090 -
Health Literacy Research and Practice Oct 2021To date, there has been a dearth of research on health literacy in the Eastern Mediterranean Region and in particular Lebanon.
BACKGROUND
To date, there has been a dearth of research on health literacy in the Eastern Mediterranean Region and in particular Lebanon.
OBJECTIVES
This cross-sectional study assessed the levels and correlates of health literacy in Lebanese adults.
METHODS
A total of 587 participants (54.5% women) were recruited from the outpatient clinics of five health facilities in Beirut. The questionnaire consisted of the Arabic version of the Functional Health literacy Scale, the Arabic short version of the European Health Literacy Survey, and questions on sociodemographic and health-related factors. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed to assess the association of these factors with functional health literacy (FHL) and comprehensive health literacy (CHL) levels.
KEY RESULTS
About 65.8% had inadequate or problematic FHL and 43.8% had inadequate or problematic CHL. Although FHL was negatively correlated with long-term illness, it was positively correlated with ability to pay and health status. CHL was positively correlated with education, income, ability to pay for treatment, health status, and FHL level, whereas it was negatively correlated with long-term illness. Binary logistic regression showed that low education, low socioeconomic status, and being a widow were predictive of inadequate FHL. Moreover, having inadequate FHL and low income increased the likelihood of having inadequate CHL.
CONCLUSION
This study has identified those with risk factors for inadequate health literacy and unfavorable health outcomes. A national action plan can guide the promotion of health literacy and its embeddedness in society to instill competencies and the environment that would eliminate health inequities and sustain health in Lebanon. Plain Language Summary: This study examined health literacy levels and correlates in 587 Lebanese adults using two recognized screening tools. The first tool measured functional health literacy (FHL), which represents the ability of a person to acquire information on health through reading or writing. The second tool assessed comprehensive health literacy (CHL), which encompasses the ability of a person to use their social skills to acquire health information from different media and make appropriate health decisions based on this information. Close to two-thirds of the participants had inadequate or problematic FHL. More specifically, low education, low socioeconomic status, and widowhood were predictive of inadequate FHL. Nearly one-half of the participants had inadequate or problematic CHL with an increased likelihood of inadequate levels in people with low FHL and low income.
Topics: Adult; Ambulatory Care Facilities; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Health Literacy; Health Status; Health Surveys; Humans; Male
PubMed: 34756119
DOI: 10.3928/24748307-20211012-02 -
The Malaysian Journal of Medical... Apr 2022Diabetics experienced distress due to the disease. This distress may impact the quality of life and adherence to treatment by the diabetics. Thus, this study is aimed at...
BACKGROUND
Diabetics experienced distress due to the disease. This distress may impact the quality of life and adherence to treatment by the diabetics. Thus, this study is aimed at identifying the factors affecting diabetes-related distress (DRD) among diabetic patients.
METHODS
A total of 100 diabetic subjects aged 18 years old and above were recruited. Data on socio-demographic data, anthropometry, hand grip strength (HGS) and body fat percentage were obtained. DRD was assessed using the Malay version of the 17-item diabetes distress scale (MDDS-17) questionnaire. Multiple linear regression was employed to identify the predictors of DRD and the significance value was set at < 0.05.
RESULTS
The majority of the subjects had low DRD (93%). Univariate analysis revealed that higher DRD scores were correlated with being single, never exercising and having lower education level, body weight, body fat percentage, body mass index (BMI) as well as HGS ( < 0.05). However, further multivariate regression analysis revealed that only smoking and being single/divorced/widow were the predictors of DRD.
CONCLUSION
Predictors of DRD in this study were smoking and being either single/divorced/widow. These factors must be taken into consideration during the medical management of diabetics in order to ensure more holistic management of the disease and the distress it caused.
PubMed: 35528811
DOI: 10.21315/mjms2022.29.2.9 -
Royal Society Open Science Oct 2022Lizards and spiders are natural adversaries, yet little is known of adaptations that lizards might possess for dealing with the venomous defences of spider prey. In the...
Lizards and spiders are natural adversaries, yet little is known of adaptations that lizards might possess for dealing with the venomous defences of spider prey. In the Western USA, two lizard species ( and ) are sympatric with and predate western black widow spiders (). The consequences of black widow spider venom (BWSV) can be severe, and are well understood for mammals but unknown for reptiles. We evaluated potential resistance to BWSV in the lizards that consume black widows, and a potentially susceptible species () known as prey of widows. We investigated BWSV effects on whole-animal performance (sprint) and muscle tissue at two venom doses compared with control injections. Sprint speed was not significantly decreased in or in any treatment, while suffered significant performance reductions in response to BWSV. Furthermore, showed minimal tissue damage and immune response, while and exhibited increased muscle damage and immune system infiltration in response to BWSV. Our data suggest predator-prey relationships between lizards and spiders are complex, possibly leading to physiological and molecular adaptations that allow some lizards to tolerate or overcome the dangerous defences of their arachnid prey.
PubMed: 36277837
DOI: 10.1098/rsos.221012 -
Psychoneuroendocrinology Jan 2022Spousal bereavement can lead to adverse health outcomes; however, not all widow(er)s experience the same degree of health problems. Thus, it is important to understand...
BACKGROUND
Spousal bereavement can lead to adverse health outcomes; however, not all widow(er)s experience the same degree of health problems. Thus, it is important to understand the contribution of disparities (e.g., childhood maltreatment and subjective social status) that may underlie adverse health outcomes that arise following bereavement.
METHODS
We collected data from 130 spousally bereaved individuals at 3-time points (3 months post-loss, 4 months post-loss, and 6 months post-loss). Using mixed models, we assessed the interaction of childhood maltreatment, subjective social status, and time to predict changes in proinflammatory cytokine production, depressive symptoms, grief symptoms.
RESULTS
We found a significant interaction between childhood maltreatment, subjective social status, and time predicting proinflammatory cytokine production (beta > -0.01, p = 0.048), depressive symptoms (beta = 0.008, p = .010), and grief symptoms (beta = 0.001 p = .001).
CONCLUSION
This study highlights the role of disparities related to childhood maltreatment and subjective social status on adverse health outcomes following spousal bereavement.
Topics: Adverse Childhood Experiences; Bereavement; Cytokines; Depression; Female; Grief; Health Status Disparities; Humans; Male; Social Determinants of Health; Social Status; Spouses; Time Factors
PubMed: 34837775
DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2021.105595 -
BMC Geriatrics Mar 2022Over the past two decades, prescription medication use for pain and depression increased dramatically. Most studies consider the early life course, despite a similar...
BACKGROUND
Over the past two decades, prescription medication use for pain and depression increased dramatically. Most studies consider the early life course, despite a similar increase among those in later life. In this paper, we examine whether and how later life transitions may relate to changes in medication use.
METHODS
We draw on data from the Health and Retirement Study and fixed-effects models to examine whether work, family, and civic transitions in later life are related to changes in the usage of prescription pain and depression medication.
RESULTS
Results show that individuals had higher odds of regularly using prescription pain and depression medications in periods when out of the labor market. Higher odds of depression medication use were also associated with periods of widowhood, and lower odds of use when frequently volunteering. Such relations persist adjusting for reported levels of pain and depression.
CONCLUSION
Our findings call attention to the importance of social ties and the presence of actors that may regulate health behaviors, as well as a change in social context, that may shape medication use in later life.
Topics: Depression; Humans; Pain; Prescription Drugs; Prescriptions; Retirement
PubMed: 35300602
DOI: 10.1186/s12877-022-02921-y -
BMC Geriatrics Jul 2023Depression has become a challenging public health problem, and the loss of a spouse is one of the main causes of depression in older adults. Social participation and...
BACKGROUND
Depression has become a challenging public health problem, and the loss of a spouse is one of the main causes of depression in older adults. Social participation and psychological resilience are protective factors that reduce depressive symptoms in adults. The purpose of this study was to explore the influences of social participation and psychological resilience on the depression of Chinese widowed older adults.
METHODS
We carried out a cross-sectional study on 790 community-dwelling widowed older adults in Shaanxi, China, in 2019. A structured face-to-face interview was used to collect data. We used the ordinary least squares model (OLS), the generalized propensity score matching (GPSM) and the mediation model to test the relationship between social participation, psychological resilience and depression.
RESULTS
We find a U-shaped relationship between social participation and depression, with the increase in social participation scores, the average depression level decreased and then increased. The psychological resilience of the widowed older adults was negatively associated with depression. The higher their psychological resilience, the lower their depression level. Among the four factors of psychological resilience, factor 2 (optimism and positive acceptance of change) and factor 3 (secure relationships and tolerance of negative affect) of psychological resilience were protective factors for depression after adjusting for demographic variables and physical health conditions. Psychological resilience plays a mediating role, as evident in factor 2 and factor 3 mediating the relationship between social participation and depression.
CONCLUSION
An appropriate level of social participation will relieve the depression of widowed older adults. Social participation can reduce the depression level of widowed older adults by improving their psychological resilience. Community and family could reduce depression by intervening in the social participation of widowed older adults. Active social participation is crucial because it has a protective and resilient impact, which can help people recover from the stress of losing a spouse.
Topics: Humans; Female; Aged; Resilience, Psychological; Widowhood; Cross-Sectional Studies; Social Participation; China
PubMed: 37488526
DOI: 10.1186/s12877-023-04168-7 -
Venomous spiders of Albania -does an increase of temperature influence the toxicity of spider venom?Toxicon: X Sep 2022Black widow spiders ( sp.) are distributed worldwide, and in Albania the L. Rossi, 1790 has been the dominant spider. Other medically important spiders in Albania...
UNLABELLED
Black widow spiders ( sp.) are distributed worldwide, and in Albania the L. Rossi, 1790 has been the dominant spider. Other medically important spiders in Albania include the brown recluse with symptoms known as loxoscelism, the false black widow and the egg sac spiders; the last two inducing similar symptoms to a wasp sting.
METHODS
The data analyzed is from a decade-long study of 125 patients hospitalized in the regional hospital of Fier County, in the Western Lowland of Albania from May 2009 and to October 2018.
OBJECTIVE
Although the venom is rarely fatal, the recent spider bites raise questions about the influence of higher air temperatures on their possibly increased toxicity.
RESULTS
Significantly the severity of the α-latrotoxin rises during the summer, when human-spider contact frequency is higher and when the black widow spiders have an increased motivation to protect their egg sacs.
CONCLUSION
This study revealed an increased severity of the black widow bites with respect to patient health, shown via all the severe systemic symptoms, during those months with higher temperatures.
PubMed: 35935107
DOI: 10.1016/j.toxcx.2022.100135 -
Der Nervenarzt May 2022Mathilde Ludendorff (nee Spiess, widowed von Kemnitz, divorced Kleine) was one of the first women who studied medicine in Imperial Germany. She wrote a feminist... (Review)
Review
Mathilde Ludendorff (nee Spiess, widowed von Kemnitz, divorced Kleine) was one of the first women who studied medicine in Imperial Germany. She wrote a feminist doctoral thesis, refuted Sigmund Freud's psychoanalysis early in her career, detected the fraud of Albert von Schrenck-Notzing's spiritualist research, became a specialist for nervous and mental diseases after only 17 months of training with Emil Kraepelin, as his-according to her own words-best pupil, treated General Ludendorff's first wife and soon became his second, developed a Germanic philosophy too radical for Adolf Hitler's taste, was considered as a primary culprit after a first denazification trial in 1949 and contested the expert opinion of her colleague Professor Georg Stertz about her own mental state. Her books are still in print and her Alliance for God Cognizance (Ludendorff) still exists and is monitored by the National Intelligence Agency.
Topics: Austria; Female; Germany; History, 20th Century; Humans; Psychoanalysis; Psychotic Disorders
PubMed: 33765162
DOI: 10.1007/s00115-021-01108-x -
Rheumatology Advances in Practice 2023The aim was to explore the prevalence and independent risk factors for anxiety and depression in RA patients and to assess the consistency between the hospital anxiety...
Anxiety and depression in rheumatoid arthritis patients: prevalence, risk factors and consistency between the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Zung's Self-rating Anxiety Scale/Depression Scale.
OBJECTIVES
The aim was to explore the prevalence and independent risk factors for anxiety and depression in RA patients and to assess the consistency between the hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) and Zung's self-rating anxiety scale/depression scale (SAS/SDS).
METHODS
In total, 160 RA patients and 60 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled consecutively, and HADS and SAS/SDS were completed.
RESULTS
The HADS-defined anxiety rate, HADS-defined depression rate, SAS-defined anxiety rate and SDS-defined depression rate were 36.9, 36.3, 29.4 and 29.4%, respectively, in RA patients, all of which were much higher in RA patients than in HCs (all <0.001). A relatively high consistency was observed between HADS-defined anxiety and SAS-defined anxiety (κ = 0.551, <0.001) and between HADS-defined depression and SDS-defined depression (κ = 0.563, <0.001) in RA patients. Interestingly, screened by multivariate logistic regression analyses, single/divorced/widowed marital status, swollen joint count, disease duration, ESR, physician's global assessment (PhGA) and DAS28 were independently correlated with HADS-defined or SAS-defined anxiety risk in RA patients; meanwhile, female biological sex, single/divorced/widowed marital status, rural location, disease duration, PhGA and DAS28 were independently associated with HADS-defined or SDS-defined depression risk in RA patients.
CONCLUSION
Anxiety and depression are highly prevalent in RA patients and are independently correlated with single/divorced/widowed marital status and higher disease activity. In addition, the HADS presents a high consistency with the SAS/SDS with many fewer questions, which might be more suitable for long-term assessment of RA.
PubMed: 38033365
DOI: 10.1093/rap/rkad100