Dataset Information

Influence of Negative Life Events and Widowhood on Risk for Dementia.

ABSTRACT: The aim of the current study was to examine the effect of negative life events and widowhood on the incidence of dementia.Data were from four Swedish longitudinal cohort studies with a total of nearly 2,000 participants and 8-25 years of follow-up. Seven stressful events were examined for which data were available in all cohorts. Clinical dementia diagnoses were made through medical and psychological examinations. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the association between life events and dementia, adjusting for lifestyle and cardiovascular risk factors.The experience of one stressful life event was not associated with dementia incidence, but two or more negative life events at baseline predicted higher risk for dementia (pooled HR: 2.00). This was most apparent for the incidence of vascular dementia (pooled HR: 3.60) but not for Alzheimer disease (pooled HR: 1.29). Moreover, persons who were widowed and had experienced one or more negative life events were found to have a threefold risk for dementia.Widowhood augments the effect of negative life events on dementia incidence and negative life events specifically increase the risk for vascular dementia.

SUBMITTER: Gerritsen L

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5474139 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Influence of Negative Life Events and Widowhood on Risk for Dementia.

Gerritsen Lotte L Wang Hui-Xin HX Reynolds Chandra A CA Fratiglioni Laura L Gatz Margaret M Pedersen Nancy L NL

The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry 20170316 7

<h4>Objective</h4>The aim of the current study was to examine the effect of negative life events and widowhood on the incidence of dementia.<h4>Methods</h4>Data were from four Swedish longitudinal cohort studies with a total of nearly 2,000 participants and 8-25 years of follow-up. Seven stressful events were examined for which data were available in all cohorts. Clinical dementia diagnoses were made through medical and psychological examinations. Cox proportional hazards models were used to est ...[more]

PMID: 28433549

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Project description:Previous studies have demonstrated an association between negative life events (NLEs) in childhood and resilience/posttraumatic growth (PTG) with regard to the pathogenesis of major depressive disorder. We hypothesized that the type and timing of NLEs interact to influence mental health in the general youth population. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the effects of NLE timing and intensity on current depressive symptoms, and to determine the direct and indirect effects of NLEs/resilience on PTG and depression among non-clinical adolescents. Data were collected from 1,038 high-school students across seven high schools in Fukui, Japan, during their freshman and sophomore years (648 boys and 390 girls, mean age = 15.71, SD = 0.524). Respondents completed a set of questionnaires designed to evaluate the type and timing of NLEs, depressive and traumatic symptoms, and PTG. Cluster analysis was used to divide participants into three groups based on outcomes: "cluster 1" (n = 631), for whom depressive scores were significantly lower than other two subgroups (p < 0.05, for both); "cluster 2" (n = 52), for whom levels of current and past perceived stress associated with NLEs were significantly higher than those of the other two subgroups (p < 0.05, for both); "cluster 3" (n = 374), for whom perceived stress at the time of NLE was significantly higher than that of participants in the cluster 1 (p < 0.05) group, but not the cluster 2 group. Our findings indicated that exposure to NLEs at a younger age resulted in stronger negative outcomes and that NLE timing and intensity were associated with PTG and current symptoms of depression. Furthermore, path analysis demonstrated that associations between perceived stress at the time of NLEs were direct and indirect predictors of current depression via PTG and that posttraumatic stress symptom and PTG mediate the association between NLEs/trait-resiliency and current depression. In conclusion, our findings suggest that event intensity, NLE timing, and gender may play a role in emotional vulnerability during adolescence.

Dataset Information

Influence of Negative Life Events and Widowhood on Risk for Dementia.

Publications

Influence of Negative Life Events and Widowhood on Risk for Dementia.

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