Disease, depression could help explain association
Newswise, February 13,
2016-- People who feel older than their peers are more likely to be
hospitalized as they age, regardless of their actual age or other demographic
factors, according to research published by the American Psychological
Association.
“How old you feel matters. Previous research has shown it can
affect your well-being and other health-related factors and, now we know it can
predict your likelihood of ending up in the hospital,” said the study’s lead
author, Yannick Stephan, PhD, of the University of Montpellier in France.
The research, which comprised more than 10,000 adults across
the U.S., was published in the journal Health Psychology.
Despite previous studies showing an association between
health-related issues and subjective age, this is the first study to test
whether feeling older is linked to a higher risk of hospitalization, according
to the article.
Stephan and co-authors Angelina R. Sutin, PhD, and Antonio
Terracciano, PhD, of Florida State University, analyzed data from three
longitudinal studies conducted from 1995 to 2013 with participants ranging in
age from 24 to 102.
They found that those who reported feeling older than their
actual age had a 10 to 25 percent increased likelihood of being hospitalized
over the next two to 10 years when controlling for age, gender, race and
education. The findings replicated across the three samples.
Further analysis showed that having more depressive symptoms
and poorer health helped explain the link between feeling older and being
hospitalized.
“Feeling older is associated with poorer physical and mental
health, but also with physiological impairments that may result in illness and
health service use over time,” said Sutin.
Participants were drawn from the Midlife in the United States
Survey, the Health and Retirement Study and the National Health and Aging
Trends Study.
In each sample, the participant’s subjective age was assessed
by asking each participant how old he or she felt at the beginning of the
study. Researchers also asked them to provide information about previously
diagnosed health conditions (i.e., high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, lung
disease, heart condition, stroke, osteoporosis or arthritis).
Participants also answered a questionnaire designed to assess
symptoms of depression. At the beginning and at various follow-up periods,
subjects reported if they had been hospitalized for any reason, either over the
last year in two samples or over the last two years for the other.
“In addition, individuals with an older subjective age are
more likely to be sedentary and to experience faster cognitive decline, all of
which may precipitate a hospital stay” said Terracciano.
“Taken as a whole, this study suggests that subjective age, along with demographic, cognitive, behavioral and health-related factors, could be a valuable tool to help identify individuals at risk of future hospitalization,” said Stephan.
“People who feel older may benefit from standard health
treatments -- for example through physical activity and exercise programs,
which may reduce their risk of depression and chronic disease, and ultimately
their hospitalization risk.”
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Article: “Feeling Older and Risk of Hospitalization: Evidence From Three Longitudinal Cohorts,” by Yannick Stephan, PhD, University of Montpellier; and Angelina R. Sutin, PhD, and Antonio Terracciano, PhD, Florida State University, Health Psychology, published online Feb. 11, 2016.
________________________________________
Article: “Feeling Older and Risk of Hospitalization: Evidence From Three Longitudinal Cohorts,” by Yannick Stephan, PhD, University of Montpellier; and Angelina R. Sutin, PhD, and Antonio Terracciano, PhD, Florida State University, Health Psychology, published online Feb. 11, 2016.
Full text of the article is available from the APA
Public Affairs Office and at www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/hea-hea0000335.pdf.
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