Depressive symptoms in older adults: the role of physical activity and social support

Abstract Objective To evaluate the role of social support in the association between physical activity (PA) in its various domains and depressive symptoms in older adults. Methods This was a cross-sectional study involving 399 older adults seen at basic health units in the municipality of Recife, state of Pernambuco, northeastern Brazil. Linear regression was implemented using the forward method to assess the association between PA and its domains and depressive symptoms, as well as to test the possible moderating component of social support in this association. Results Of the total sample, 17.6% reported not practicing PA; 6.7% presented depressive symptoms, with a mean score of 1.59 points. A total of 18.6% of the older adults assessed reported not having social support. Older adults who did not practice total, transportation or domestic PA showed increased scores of depressive symptoms when compared to older adults who practiced PA in these domains. Older adults with social support also had fewer depressive symptoms. Practicing domestic, leisure and total PA, and/or having social support, decreased depressive symptoms in older adults. Having social support or practicing PA decreased depressive symptoms in older adults in a similar way. Conclusions Older adults with social support and who practiced PA, especially domestic and total PA, presented the lowest scores of depressive symptoms. The data showed the importance of providing elements to strengthen social support and PA practice in older adults living in poor communities as a strategy to prevent and reduce depressive symptoms.

Tempo, idade e cultura: uma contribuição à psicopatologia da depressão no idoso. Parte I: Temporalidade e cultura

Procuramos aqui relacionar dois aspectos fundamentais das intuições culturais sobre a passagem do tempo – a temporalidade cíclica e a contínua – com a terapêutica médica e especialmente com a psicopatologia, numa visão crítica do constructo moderno da depressão no idoso. Inspirado em perspectivas de natureza antropológica, o texto se apóia na experiência clínica cotidiana e na atitude fenomenológica que orienta essa prática. Nas concepções culturais que tendem a perceber a passagem do tempo de forma predominantemente cíclica, o envelhecer é parte de um movimento eterno, e a família se perpetua em seus descendentes, nas suas tradições, no vínculo com a terra ou no exercício do ofício familiar. As transformações culturais que têm proporcionado a passagem para enfoques mais direcionais do tempo vão destacando cada vez mais o papel individual na história social. Quando mais difícil for a passagem de Weltanschauungen tradicionais, de tendência circular, fatalista, repetitiva e eterna, para outras de tendência individualizante, burocratizante, planejadora e sucessiva, maiores as dificuldades para uma senectude satisfatória e maior a tendência à medicalização desse fracasso.

Buscamos aquí relacionar dos aspectos fundamentales de las intuiciones culturales sobre el pasaje del tiempo – la temporalidad cíclica y la continua – con la terapéutica médica y más especialmente con la psicopatología, en una visión critica del constructo moderno de la depresión en la vejez. Inspirado en perspectivas antropológicas, el texto busca apoyo en la experiencia clínica diaria y en la actitud fenomenológica que la orienta. En las concepciones culturales del tiempo que tienden a percibir su pasaje de forma predominantemente cíclica, envejecer es parte de un movimiento eterno, y la familia se perpetúa en sus descendientes, en sus tradiciones, en el vínculo con la tierra o en el ejercicio del trabajo familiar. Las transformaciones culturales que han proporcionado el pasaje para enfoques más direccionales del tiempo van destacando cada vez más el rol individual en la historia social. Cuanto más dificultoso sea el pasaje de Weltanschauungen tradicionales, de tendencia circular, fatalista, repetitiva y eterna para otras de tendencia individualizante, burocratizante, planeadora y sucesiva, más grandes las dificultades para una senectud satisfactoria así como la tendencia a la medicalización de este fracaso.

Nous cherchons ici à mettre en rapport deux aspects fondamentaux des conceptions intuitives culturelles sur la passage du temps – la temporalité cyclique et la temporalité continue – avec la thérapeutique médicale et notament avec la psychopathologie, dans une vision critique du concept moderne de dépression chez la personne agée. Inspiré des perspectives de nature anthropologique, le texte se fonde sur l’expérience clinique quotidienne et sur l’attitude phénoménologique guidant cette pratique. Dans les conceptions culturelles qui tendent à percevoir le passage du temps comme cyclique, le vieillissement fait partie d’un mouvement éternel et la famille se perpétue par ses descendants, ses traditions, ses liens avec la terre ou par l’exercice du métier familial. Les transformations culturelles qui ont une approche plus directionnelle du passage du temps montrent de plus em plus le rôle individuel dans l’histoire social. Plus il sera dificile de passer des Weltanschauungen traditionnelles, tendant à la circularité, à la répétition, au fatalisme et à l’éternité, à d’autres Weltanschauungen de tendance à l’individualisation, à la bureaucratie, à la planification et à la succession, plus les difficultés d’avoir une vieillesse satisfaisante seront grandes et la tendance à la médicalisation de ce problème sera plus importante.

Two fundamental aspects of cultural intuitive conceptions of time’s passage – cyclic and continuous temporality – are here related to medical therapy and psychopathology, in a critical view of depression in old age as a modern construct. Although inspired by anthropological perspectives this paper is based on daily clinical experience and on a phenomenological attitude. In predominantly cyclical cultural perceptions of time the process of ageing is part of an eternal movement, and families perpetuate themselves in their descendants, in their traditions, in land ties or in the practice of familiar crafts or skills. Cultural transformations that give rise to more directional approaches of time’s passage tend to implement individual roles more and more in social history. The more difficult the change from fatalist, repetitive, eternal cycling traditional Weltanschauungen to individualizing, bureaucratizing, planning and successive ones, the larger the chances of an unsuccessful old age and “medicalization” of this failure.

Cognitive Function and Quality of Life of Elderly in Beadhouse / 中国心理卫生杂志

Objective: To investigate relationship between cognitive function and quality of life of elderly living in beadhouses Method: 251 persons aged 55 or above living in three beadhouse for at least 1 year were assessed with GQOLI-74 (generic quality of life inventory-74), SAS (self-rating anxiety scale), CESD (center for epidemiologic studies depression scale), MMSE (mini mental state examination) and ADL (activity of daily living) Result: The elderly with low MMSE scores had lower scores in GQOLI-74 than that normal in MMSE assessment The quality of life correlated with depression and cognitive function Those in marriage had better life quality than those widowed Conclusion: Cognitive function is an important factor on quality of life of elderly living in beadhouses