Well-being In Middle-aged Adults Research Articles

Grip strength, working memory, and emotion perception in middle-aged males.

This study examined the association between grip strength and emotional working memory in middle-aged adults. Seventy-six males aged 40-60years (mean=48.5years, SD=5.4) participated in this cross-sectional study. They completed a muscular fitness assessment using a maximum grip strength test and emotional n-back tasks under two emotion conditions (fearful and neutral facial pictures) and two working memory loads (1-back and 2-back tasks). Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that greater muscular fitness was associated with superior working memory performance in the fearful condition in both the 1-back and 2-back tasks, after controlling for confounders. Greater muscular fitness was also associated with superior working memory performance in the neutral condition when the working memory load was high (2-back task) but not low (1-back task). These findings suggest a positive association between muscular fitness and emotional working memory and highlight the importance of maintaining muscular fitness for physical and cognitive-emotional well-being in middle-aged adults.

Identification of Latent Sleep Profiles in Middle-Aged Adults and Connections to Well-Being

For middle-aged adults, achieving adequate sleep is a challenge but essential for long-term health. The present study identified latent sleep profiles to clarify how multiple sleep variables (i.e., regularity, satisfaction, alertness, timing, efficiency, and duration) cooccur within middle-aged adults and the implications these holistic sleep experiences have for well-being. Three profiles emerged within the Midlife in the United States II dataset (MIDUS; N=4030, Mage=56.23 years): (i) good sleepers, (ii) nappers/poor night sleepers, and (iii) sufficient but irregular sleepers. Generally, good sleepers reported the best well-being, sufficient/irregular sleepers reported comparatively moderate well-being, and nappers/poor night sleepers reported the worst well-being across a variety of indicators (i.e., chronic health conditions, life satisfaction, positive affect, negative affect, and psychological well-being) after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics. Age moderated these associations. Our findings advance understanding of sleep health as a multifaceted construct and of its connection to well-being in middle-aged adults.

Lifetime Adversity in the Context of Monthly Adversity and Psychological Well-Being in Midlife: Evidence of Cumulative Disadvantage, But Not Steeling Effects of Lifetime Adversity.

Our objective is to examine whether lifetime adversity has either a "steeling effect" or "cumulative disadvantage effect" on the consequences of monthly adversity on psychological well-being in middle-aged adults. An exploratory step was to examine whether such associations differed based on the domain of adversity (personal, family/friend, bereavement, social-environmental, and relationship). Multilevel modeling was applied to data from a sample of participants in midlife (n = 358, ages 50-65, 54% women) who were assessed monthly for 2 years. Lifetime adversity did not show steeling effects, but instead appeared to exacerbate the impact of monthly adversity on psychological well-being, indicating cumulative disadvantage. On months where an adversity was reported, on average, individuals who reported more lifetime adversity showed stronger increases in depressive symptoms, anxiety, and negative affect and decreases in positive affect. There was limited evidence to suggest for steeling effects for life satisfaction. Reporting adversity in the personal, bereavement, social-environmental, and relationship domains showed the strongest associations with psychological well-being. Our discussion focuses on how lifetime adversity showed a cumulative disadvantage effect on the consequences of monthly adversity on psychological well-being. We also elaborate on future directions for research that include other conceptualizations of adversity and research to examine mechanisms underlying this relationship.

Who is mentally healthy? Mental health profiles of Japanese social networking service users with a focus on LINE, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

BackgroundBoth negative and positive associations between social networking service (SNS) usage and mental health have been suggested by previous studies; however, their differences by type of SNS and age remain unclear. We addressed this issue based on the frequency of traditional communication such as face-to-face and non-face-to-face communication (e.g., phone, email, and letters).MethodsIn total, 8,576 individuals participated, including 2,543 aged 18–39, 3,048 aged 40–64, and 2,985 aged over 65 years. They were asked to indicate their frequency of SNS usage, both for posting and checking, of LINE (a popular message application in Japan), Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, with frequent usage defined as posting or checking more than a few times a week. To determine mental health status, WHO-5 (i.e., well-being), K6 (i.e., distress symptoms), and feelings of loneliness were assessed. Multiple and logistic regression analyses were adjusted for the frequency of traditional communication. To avoid type 1 error, a Bonferroni correction of p ≤ 0.002 was applied in the regression models (p = 0.05/18, a number of regression models).ResultsThe most frequently used SNS across the three age groups was LINE; frequent usage (both posting and checking) among older adults was independently associated with better well-being. Frequent posting on Facebook was associated with better well-being in middle-aged adults. Young adults who frequently checked on Instagram showed a tendency toward better well-being and lower distress symptoms. On the contrary, frequent usage of Twitter was associated with distress symptoms or feelings of loneliness across all three age groups.ConclusionsWe found generational and SNS-type-dependent negative and positive associations between SNS use and mental health, indicating the possible influences of SNS use and the importance of non-SNS communication.

An Exploratory Study of Cognitive Functioning and Psychological Well-Being in Middle-Aged Adults with Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract Background Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by increased level of blood sugar for a prolonged period of time. Apart from its impact on the bodily functions, the disorder has its own psychological consequences, commonly in terms of stress reaction, anxiety, and depression. Diabetes is also known to affect cognitive functions, but it is less studied in the Indian population and relatively ignored in the management plan. Discerning the cognitive functions in middle-aged adults diagnosed with diabetes can give valuable insight into comprehensive management of the disorder. With this background, the study attempted to explore the cognitive functioning and psychological well-being of middle-aged adults with diabetes and compared with healthy individuals. Methods A total of 30 middle-aged adults of both sexes diagnosed with diabetes type 2 were undertaken for the study and compared with 30 healthy adults regarding measures of cognitive functioning and psychological well-being. The measures were also explored for relationship if any with illness duration. Results Middle-aged adults with diabetes differed significantly in terms of response inhibition and processing speed compared with healthy controls. The groups significantly differed on subjective Psychological well-being in terms of self-control, anxiety and depression, and vitality. Duration of illness was found to be related to anxiety symptoms. Conclusion Diabetes affects response inhibition and processing speed in middle-aged adults. Assessing and addressing impairment in cognitive functions is recommended for a comprehensive management of diabetes in middle-aged adults.

Wearable Biofeedback Suit to Promote and Monitor Aquatic Exercises: A Feasibility Study

Aquatic exercises have been demonstrated to benefit the facilitation of motor recovery and the enhancement of well-being in middle-aged adults and the elderly. Personalization, immersiveness, and biofeedback are key for amplifying and accelerating any rehabilitation process in neurological and orthopedic patients. However, a therapist can neither properly visualize nor monitor rehabilitation exercises executed under water, nor can he/she measure them. Therefore, this paper aims to provide adaptive biofeedback during aquatic exercises in order to enhance the training's effectiveness. A wearable biofeedback suit equipped with wearable underwater-resistant sensor nodes has been designed, produced, and tested. A dedicated algorithm for quantitatively extracting joint angles has been developed and validated against the optical tracking system. Multiple biofeedback modalities are proposed based on visual feedback: amplitude control with set target angles; velocity-amplitude control with set target angles and angular velocity; and velocity tutor with set target angles, a frequency value, and a rest period. Joint angles estimated using the sensor network are compared to those estimated using an optical tracking system with the root-mean-squared angle error between the two systems ranging from 4.0° to 6.3° and a significant correlation coefficient that is always greater than 0.99. Pilot tests during aquatic exercises executed in a thermal environment demonstrate the feasibility and usability of the complete system in the final working environment. The relevant angles are correctly calculated and monitored online during the exercises, and the tested subjects understand the implemented biofeedback modalities easily and follow them well as the SUS evaluation indicates.

Emotional Expressiveness, Savoring Beliefs, and Well-Being in Middle-Aged Adults

Emotional Expressiveness, Savoring Beliefs, and Well-Being in Middle-Aged Adults

Associations between physical behaviour patterns and levels of depressive symptoms, anxiety and well-being in middle-aged adults: a cross-sectional study using isotemporal substitution models

ObjectiveTo examine the compositional effects of physical behaviour on mental health.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingA population-representative random sample (Mitchelstown cohort) was recruited from a large primary care centre in Mitchelstown, County Cork, Ireland.ParticipantsIn...

The Effect of Self-Transcendence and Self-Enhancement on the Well-Being of Middle-aged Adults

The Effect of Self-Transcendence and Self-Enhancement on the Well-Being of Middle-aged Adults

Impact of Health Promoting Life Style on Successful Aging and Psychological Well-Being in Middle-Aged Adults

Impact of Health Promoting Life Style on Successful Aging and Psychological Well-Being in Middle-Aged Adults

Intrinsic Emotional Fluctuation in Daily Negative Affect across Adulthood.

The study explored daily negative affect (NA) fluctuation, its associations with age, and its developmental characteristics. The sample (n = 790) was drawn from the Midlife Development in the United States; participants completed two 8-day daily diaries 10 years apart. Multilevel models were estimated within each diary component, where two single daily NA (depression and nervousness) and daily NA diversity were predicted separately by daily stressor exposures, physical health symptoms, age, gender, education, and neuroticism. The variances of within-person residual were output for single NA and NA diversity as intrinsic emotion fluctuation (IEF) within each diary component (i.e., controlled for within- and between-person contextual factors). Then multilevel growth models were fit to explore the developmental characteristics of day-to-day IEF across 10 years. At the daily level, older age was associated with less IEF in depression and nervousness. Over time, IEF in depression decreased. Additionally, IEF in NA diversity increased for older participants longitudinally. IEF represents a new conceptualization of midlife individuals' daily emotional ups and downs, specifically, the intrinsic within-person volatility of emotions. The magnitude of IEF and its longitudinal dynamics may have implications for health and well-being of middle-aged adults.

子どもの有無と主観的幸福感――中年期における規定因を中心として――

子どもの有無と主観的幸福感――中年期における規定因を中心として――

Minding the Aging Brain: Are We Ready for Personalized Medicine?

Minding the Aging Brain: Are We Ready for Personalized Medicine?

Whole body vibration: unsupervised training or combined with a supervised multi-purpose exercise for fitness?

The aim of the study was to compare the effect of an unsupervised whole body vibration (WBV) training and two different supervised multi-purpose exercise programmes, with and without WBV, on body composition, functional fitness and self-reported well-being in middle-aged adults. Fifty-four healthy participants (age 48.6 ± 6.7 years) were randomly assigned to a vibration group (VG), a multi-purpose exercise group (MG) and a multi-purpose exercise with vibration group (VMG) and trained 3 days a week for 4 months. VG performed a standardised unsupervised WBV protocol, MG a supervised multi-purpose exercise and VMG a multi-purpose exercise including vibration. After training, drop out was significantly higher in VG group (P = 0.016) when compared to VMG group. In both MG and VMG, body composition, sit-up, push-up, sit and reach, agility test, hopping test and self-reported general health significantly improved (P < 0.05). No additive effects were generated by the vibration stimulus. Percentage of body fat and agility test in VG had a significant opposite trend compared to VMG group (P < 0.05). In summary, an unsupervised WBV training should not be chosen for training protocol. However, positive effects on physical fitness and the best results in adherence could be achieved integrating WBV practice into a multi-purpose exercise training.

Revisiting the Structure of Subjective Well-Being in Middle-Aged Adults

Subjective well-being is a broad, multifaceted construct comprising general satisfaction with life, satisfaction with life domains (health, family, people, free time, self, housing, work, and finances), positive affect, and negative affect. Drawing on representative data from middle-aged adults (N = 738), the authors used three different structural models to analyze the interrelationships among these facets of subjective well-being. In a top-down model, a single factor representing global subjective well-being explained the correlations found among the more specific facets of subjective well-being and exerted the strongest influence on general satisfaction with life, satisfaction with health, and satisfaction with finances. In a bottom-up model, satisfaction with the latter two domains had the strongest effect on global subjective well-being. The authors discuss the implications of their findings for research on subjective well-being.

Saccharide Effects on Cognition and Well-Being in Middle-Aged Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The current study used a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design to investigate the effects of saccharide supplementation on cognition and well-being in middle-aged adults. Participants (N = 109; 45–60 years) took a teaspoon of a combination of saccharides or a placebo twice daily for 12 weeks (3.6 g per day). Before and after this supplementation period, participants completed alternate forms of standardized tests of cognition and self-report measures of well-being. Significant beneficial effects of saccharide supplementation were found for memory performance and indicators of well-being. The potential for these nutrients to optimize cognitive function and well-being in older adults warrants ongoing investigation.