Nathalie Bailly

Positive illusions and mental and physical health in later life.

There are three competing conceptions concerning the relationship between positive illusions and mental health: the ‘traditional’ mental health model, according to which an accurate perception of the self and the world is a cornerstone of psychological well-adjustment; Taylor and Browns Social Psychological Model on mental health, which assumes that positive illusions promote good mental health; and Baumeisters Optimal Margin Theory, which states that too much accuracy is harmful to mental health, as are exaggerated illusions. These three models were evaluated in the elderly (n = 857 retirees ages 60–95) using the youthful bias, which is the illusion of being younger than ones real age. As a whole, the Social Psychological Model obtained the strongest support. Retirees who harboured an exaggerated youthful bias (more than 15 years) reported more satisfaction with leisure time, higher self-esteem, better perceived health, and less boredom proneness than those who felt as old as they were or who, except for perceived health, entertained a moderate youthful bias (between 1 and 15 years).

Spirituality and religion in older adults with dementia: a systematic review

BACKGROUND Religious and spiritual issues are clearly important to the older adult population and may play a positive role in maintaining health and recovering from illness. This study systematically reviewed the literature examining the effects of religion and spirituality on health outcomes such as cognitive functioning, coping strategies, and quality of life in people with dementia. METHODS First, 51 articles with defined keywords were collected from online databases. Then, using inclusion and exclusion criteria, 11 articles were selected. These were classified according to methodological quality before being analyzed one by one. RESULTS The findings highlight the benefits of spirituality and religion on health outcomes. Three articles showed that in participants who used their spirituality or religion more, through their faith, their practices and in maintaining social interactions, their cognitive disorders tended to reduce or stabilize. In the other eight articles, use of spirituality or faith in daily life enabled people to develop coping strategies to help accept their disease, maintain their relationships, maintain hope, and find meaning in their lives, thereby improving their quality of life. CONCLUSIONS Spirituality and religion appear to slow cognitive decline, and help people use coping strategies to deal their disease and have a better quality of life. This literature review allows us to take stock of research over the last decade on spirituality/religion and health outcomes. The benefits observed should be considered with caution and included in rigorous experimental research in the future.

Coping with negative life events in old age: The role of tenacious goal pursuit and flexible goal adjustment

Objective: This study examines the relationships between negative life events and tenacious goal pursuit (TGP) and flexible goal adjustment (FGA), two fundamental modes of self-regulation suggested by Brandtstädter, and their effects on mental health. Methods: TGP/FGA, negative life events and depression were assessed in 670 elderly people living in the community. Hierarchical regressions were carried out to examine the effects of the two self-regulation modes and negative life events on depression. Results: Findings demonstrate the role of TGP and FGA in coping with negative life events. While both FGA and TGP were related to depression, FGA was found to have beneficial effects for the participants who had encountered negative life events. With age, people become less tenacious, but no conclusive relationship was found between flexibility and age. Discussion: Our findings support the importance of both modes of coping for the mental health of older adults. In particular, the ability to adjust goals was shown to be critical as a way of preventing the development of depressive symptoms following negative life events.

Factorial Structure of the French Version of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale Among the Elderly

Ten different confirmatory factor analysis models, including ones with correlated traits correlated methods, correlated traits correlated uniqueness, and correlated traits uncorrelated methods, were proposed to examine the factorial structure of the French version of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965). In line with previous studies (Tomas & Oliver, 1999; Wang, Siegal, Falck, & Carlson, 2001), our results support the existence of a single global self-esteem factor underlying responses to the scale, in spite of the fact that method effects appear to be associated more with negatively worded items than with positively worded ones.

The Daily Spiritual Experience Scale (DSES): Validation of the Short Form in an Elderly French Population

L’objectif de notre étude était de valider en langue française l’échelle des expériences de spiritualité quotidienne (EESQ) auprès d’une population âgée française. Deux études ont été menées afin d’examiner les propriétés psychométriques de l’EESQ. Les résultats de l’analyse factorielle (Etude 1–2) et de l’analyse factorielle confirmatoire (Etude 2) ont mis en évidence l’unidimensionnalité de l’échelle. La fidélité interne (Etude 1–2) ainsi que la fidélité temporelle (Etude 2) sont satisfaisantes. Comme prévu, des scores élevés ont été mis en corrélation avec la satisfaction de vie et l’évaluation de sa santé. En revanche, aucune corrélation n’a été mise en évidence avec la dépression. Cette étude préliminaire met en évidence les bonnes propriétés psychométriques de l’EESQ et semble être un bon outil d’investigation pour tous les chercheurs et professionnels intéressés par le maintien et la promotion du bien-être et de la spiritualité chez les âgés. The study’s purpose was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the short form of the Daily Spiritual Experience Scale (DSES) in an elderly French population. Two studies were conducted to examine the psychometric properties of the DSES. Results of factor analysis (studies 1–2) and confirmatory factor analysis (Study 2) indicated that the DSES can be conceptualized on a single general factor. The reliability of the DSES appeared to be satisfactory with good internal consistency (studies 1–2) and good temporal stability (Study 2). As expected, higher scores were correlated with good life satisfaction and good self-evaluation of health, but no correlation was found with depression. Study results provided preliminary evidence of the psychometric properties of the French translation of the DSES short version. This short version indicates the potential benefit of encouraging the spiritual aspects of life and could be used in a variety of health-related research.

The Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (DEBQ). Assessment of eating behaviour in an aging French population

The aim of the study was to develop a French version of the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (DEBQ) in order to provide a self-report measure for French people in the field of gerontology. A short version of the DEBQ was administered to 262 participants aged 65years and older. Single and multigroup confirmatory analyses were carried out. The fit measures for the three-factor model and the factorial invariance models with respect to age, sex and BMI status were satisfactory. Three subscales of DEBQ had satisfactory internal consistency. Regarding age, the results showed significant differences in emotional eating and restrained eating. Concerning sex, women had higher mean scores for emotional eating and restrained eating than men. Finally, the overweight older people had higher scores for emotional eating than the normal-weight participants. The short version of DEBQ should provide a useful measure for researchers and clinicians who are interested in exploring eating behaviours among the elderly.

Does flexible goal adjustment predict life satisfaction in older adults? A six-year longitudinal study

Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between flexible goal adjustment and life satisfaction (as an enduring component of subjective well-being) using six-year longitudinal data from a sample of older adults.Methods: The study included 704 participants aged 63–97 years assessed four times over a six-year period. Simultaneous and lagged models were specified and estimated using structural equation modeling.Results: Both simultaneous and lagged coefficients indicated that a high score on flexible goal adjustment significantly predicted subsequent levels of life satisfaction.Conclusion: In line with successful aging theory, our findings support the view that the ability to adjust personal goals flexibly is a central resource when unattainable goals are encountered and it contributes to well-being in old age.

Relationships between nutritional status, depression and pleasure of eating in aging men and women

Nutritional health is an essential component of quality of life among older adults. The aim of this study was to identify the predictors of nutritional status in order to identify both common and sex specific predictive pathways in an aging population. A questionnaire was administered to 464 people living at home aged 65 years and above. Part of the questionnaire contained questions about nutritional status (MNA), depression (GDS), pleasure of eating and demographic characteristics. Structural equation modeling was used to examine relationships between the variables. For both sexes, results indicate that depression and pleasure of eating are related to nutritional status. In addition, different pathways were found between men and women. In particular, while pleasure of eating is affected by depression among aging women this is not the case for men. The implications of the findings for nutrition communication are discussed.

Validation of the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy—Spiritual Well-being (FACIT-Sp12) on French Old People

The study aimed to develop a French version of the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy—Spiritual Well-being short version (FACIT-Sp12), in order to provide a self-reported measure for French people in the field of gerontology. The study involving 63 nursing home residents was conducted to evaluate the construct validity, reliability, and convergence validity of the FACIT-Sp12. A confirmatory factor analysis corroborated a three-factor model (Meaning, Peace and Faith) with modifications for two items, also valid among people with cognitive impairment. Subscales showed good internal consistency and are correlated with quality of life and depression. In conclusion, the validated French version is an suitable instrument to study the maintenance and promotion of quality of life in the elderly.

The Geriatric Depression Scale: does it measure depressive mood, depressive affect, or both?

Self‐report measures of depression are highly important tools used in research and in various healthcare settings for the diagnosis of different levels of depression. The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) is the first and the most popular scale used to screen for late‐life depression. It is endorsed by the Royal College of Physicians and the British Geriatric Society (1992). The purpose of the present research was to investigate whether scores on the GDS15 capture depressive mood (i.e. trait depression), depressive affect (i.e. short‐term depressive state), or both.