Intervention and mediation effects of a community-based singing group on older adults' perceived physical and mental health: the Sing4Health randomized controlled trial.

ObjectiveTo examine short- and long-term effects of a group singing program on older adults' perceived physical and mental health levels, and also investigate subjective well-being (life satisfaction, positive/negative affect and hedonic balance), body balance and serum biomarkers (C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate) as putative mediating mechanisms, controlling for the cognitive status of the participants. Design: The randomized controlled trial included 149 participants (60 to 95 years), allocated to an immediate intervention group (IG) or a wait-list active control group (WLG). The intervention comprised 34 sessions of group singing during 4-months. Main outcome measures: Self-report measures of physical health, anxiety, stress, and depression. Blinded assessments were conducted at baseline, post-intervention (4 months) and follow-up (6 months). Results: Participants in the IG reported a lower decline in perceived physical health after the intervention, as compared to the WLG. These benefits were maintained at follow-up. Singing-related changes in physical and mental health outcomes were mediated via an increase in positive affect. Moderation results showed that participants with very low cognitive functioning reported more anxiety and depression symptoms after the intervention. Conclusions: These findings provide further understanding on the psychological and physical mechanisms and effects of group singing in older adults.

Factors Predicting Adherence to Artistic-Singing Groups for Older Adults and their Role as Moderators of the Intervention Outcomes.

OBJECTIVES: Group singing (GS), as an art-based intervention, has demonstrated a wide range of biopsychosocial benefits in older adult participants. However, the factors that predict the adherence of older adults to these programs and that moderate the intervention outcomes were not yet studied, which is the aim of this study. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was developed to test the efficacy of a GS intervention, from which pre-post intervention data was collected and analyzed. Participants: 149 retired older adults (M = 76.66, SD = 8,79 years old) users of a social care institution. RESULTS: Principal component analysis of responses to a pre-intervention assessment yielded 10 factors. General well-being (GWB), negative mood and loneliness, blood pressure, and the participants' years of formal education predicted the number of sessions attended by the participants. GWB moderated the intervention's outcomes on life satisfaction, social identification, and systemic inflammation. CONCLUSIONS: Years of education, well-being, negative mood and loneliness, and blood pressure at baseline predicted participants' adherence to a singing group artistic intervention. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: For future artistic interventions with older adults, screening for participants' characteristics such as formal education, health and well-being before the intervention is important as it allows predicting adherence and tailoring more adjusted and cost-effective interventions.

Sing4Health: Randomised controlled trial of the effects of a singing group program on the subjective and social well-being of older adults.

Group singing may be an optimal intervention strategy to promote active ageing and well-being; however, evidence with experimental validity is scarce. This study aims to fill this gap by analysing the effects of a 34-session singing group programme (SGP) on participants' subjective and social well-being and the mediating roles of social identification with the singing group and of self-esteem. An RCT with intervention (n = 89) and active waiting-list control (n = 60) conditions was conducted, and a mixed method quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis were performed. Participants were mostly elderly day-care centre users (M = 76.66 years old; SD = 8.79) with low average levels of education and income. Structured measures of life satisfaction, positive and negative affect, self-esteem, loneliness, social identification and social well-being were collected, as well as interviews on the perceived benefits of participating in the SGP. Results showed significant effects of the SGP on the positive affect, social well-being and marginally on the self-esteem of the participants. The observed effects were sustained at the follow-up. Qualitative analysis corroborated the quantitative results. Mediation analysis showed indirect effects of social identification with the singing group on loneliness and social identification with the social care institution group; and of self-esteem on positive and negative affect.

Sing4Health: protocol of a randomized controlled trial of the effects of a singing group intervention on the well-being, cognitive function and health of older adults.

BACKGROUND: Singing is a multimodal activity that requires physical, cognitive and psychosocial performance, with benefits to various domains of well-being and health in older adults. In recent years, research has increasingly studied group singing as an important cost-effective intervention to promote active and healthy aging. However, the specific factors responsible for these benefits need further experimental support, as most studies do not allow for causal inferences. This study responds to the need for further randomized controlled trials (RCT), with follow-up measurement, on the benefits of group singing in older adults from a low socioeconomic background. Also, while most studies often focus on specific outcome measure dimensions, in this study, the conjoint effect of several physical, psychosocial, psychoemotional and cognitive dimensions are analyzed, testing mediation effects of psychosocial and psychoemotional variables on the well-being and health of the participants. METHODS: We implement and measure the effects of a singing group program for older adults, with an RCT crossover design study, in a natural context, before and after the intervention and in a follow-up, 6 months after the intervention. PARTICIPANTS: 140 retired older adults (> 60 years) users of a social support institution, will be invited to participate in a singing group program and randomly allocated to an experimental (n = 70) and a control (n = 70) group, which will enroll in the regular activities proposed by the institution. The intervention consists of 34 bi-weekly group singing sessions, of 2 h each, for 4 months. Measures on social and emotional well-being, cognitive function, and health indicators (e.g., blood pressure, glycemia, cholesterol, c-reactive protein, sedimentation rate, respiratory function, body balance, sleep quality, medication intake, and health services attendance) will be collected. Interviews will be conducted on the motivation and perceived benefits of participation. DISCUSSION: Significant improvements are expected in the outcome measures in the experimental group after the intervention, validating singing groups as a cost-effective intervention for healthy aging. Psychosocial and psychoemotional variables are expected to be mediators of the effects of the program in the cognitive function, well-being and health of the participants. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT03985917 . Registered 14th June 2019 (retrospectively registered).

Concepts of happiness across time and cultures.

We explored cultural and historical variations in concepts of happiness. First, we analyzed the definitions of happiness in dictionaries from 30 nations to understand cultural similarities and differences in happiness concepts. Second, we analyzed the definition of happiness in Webster's dictionaries from 1850 to the present day to understand historical changes in American English. Third, we coded the State of the Union addresses given by U.S. presidents from 1790 to 2010. Finally, we investigated the appearance of the phrases happy nation versus happy person in Google's Ngram Viewer from 1800 to 2008. Across cultures and time, happiness was most frequently defined as good luck and favorable external conditions. However, in American English, this definition was replaced by definitions focused on favorable internal feeling states. Our findings highlight the value of a historical perspective in the study of psychological concepts.

Confirmatory factor analysis and temporal invariance of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) / Análise fatorial confirmatória e invariância temporal da Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS)

This paper analyzes the structure and the temporal invariance of the Portuguese version of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. Previous studies are not consensual whether PANAS measures two or three affect factors and whether such factors are independent or correlated. In order to fill in this gap, we compared the original PANAS, as an independent bi-dimensional structure, with several other alternative structures. Two hundred forty five university students and professional trainees answered the questionnaire in two distinct moments with a two month interval. The model of PANAS with a structure of two independent factors, Positive Affect (PA) and Negative Affect (NA), as proposed by the authors of the scale, was tested. However, the best model consisted of two independent factors, PA and NA, with the cross-loading of the item "excited" between PA and NA, and specified error correlations between the same categories of emotions. Another gap in the literature is the temporal invariance analysis of the PANAS. This paper assesses the temporal invariance of the scale, using the structural equation modeling analysis. Although it was used in its state form version, the PANAS scale showed temporal stability in a two month interval...

O artigo analisa a estrutura e a invariância temporal da versão portuguesa da Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. A investigação científica anterior não é consensual acerca da estrutura da PANAS, se é constituída por dois ou três fatores e se esses fatores são independentes ou correlacionados. De forma a colmatar esta lacuna, procedemos à comparação da estrutura da PANAS como tendo duas dimensões independentes com várias outras estruturas alternativas. Duzentos e quarenta e cinco estudantes universitários e de cursos de formação profissional responderam ao questionário em dois momentos, com dois meses de intervalo. Foi testado o modelo da PANAS que representa uma estrutura de dois fatores independentes, Afeto Positivo (AP) e Afeto Negativo (AN), tal como definida pelos autores da escala. Contudo, o melhor modelo foi o que representa uma estrutura de dois fatores independentes, com a ponderação dupla do item "excitado" entre o AP e o AN e especificando correlações entre os erros dos itens que pertencem às mesmas categorias de emoções. Outra lacuna na investigação é a análise da invariância temporal da PANAS. Este artigo analisa a invariância temporal da escala, utilizando a análise de modelos de equações estruturais. Embora a escala tenha sido aplicada na sua versão afeto estado, a PANAS revelou invariância temporal num intervalo de dois meses...

Confirmatory factor analysis and temporal invariance of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) / Análise fatorial confirmatória e invariância temporal da Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS)

This paper analyzes the structure and the temporal invariance of the Portuguese version of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. Previous studies are not consensual whether PANAS measures two or three affect factors and whether such factors are independent or correlated. In order to fill in this gap, we compared the original PANAS, as an independent bi-dimensional structure, with several other alternative structures. Two hundred forty five university students and professional trainees answered the questionnaire in two distinct moments with a two month interval. The model of PANAS with a structure of two independent factors, Positive Affect (PA) and Negative Affect (NA), as proposed by the authors of the scale, was tested. However, the best model consisted of two independent factors, PA and NA, with the cross-loading of the item "excited" between PA and NA, and specified error correlations between the same categories of emotions. Another gap in the literature is the temporal invariance analysis of the PANAS. This paper assesses the temporal invariance of the scale, using the structural equation modeling analysis. Although it was used in its state form version, the PANAS scale showed temporal stability in a two month interval.(AU)

O artigo analisa a estrutura e a invariância temporal da versão portuguesa da Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. A investigação científica anterior não é consensual acerca da estrutura da PANAS, se é constituída por dois ou três fatores e se esses fatores são independentes ou correlacionados. De forma a colmatar esta lacuna, procedemos à comparação da estrutura da PANAS como tendo duas dimensões independentes com várias outras estruturas alternativas. Duzentos e quarenta e cinco estudantes universitários e de cursos de formação profissional responderam ao questionário em dois momentos, com dois meses de intervalo. Foi testado o modelo da PANAS que representa uma estrutura de dois fatores independentes, Afeto Positivo (AP) e Afeto Negativo (AN), tal como definida pelos autores da escala. Contudo, o melhor modelo foi o que representa uma estrutura de dois fatores independentes, com a ponderação dupla do item "excitado" entre o AP e o AN e especificando correlações entre os erros dos itens que pertencem às mesmas categorias de emoções. Outra lacuna na investigação é a análise da invariância temporal da PANAS. Este artigo analisa a invariância temporal da escala, utilizando a análise de modelos de equações estruturais. Embora a escala tenha sido aplicada na sua versão afeto estado, a PANAS revelou invariância temporal num intervalo de dois meses.(AU)