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Interlocking trajectories of loss-related events and depressive symptoms among elders.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Lynch, SM; George, LK
Published in: The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences
March 2002

As people age, their peers (who are also aging) become increasingly susceptible to health decline and death, implying potential growth in stressful loss-related events over time for the individual. Yet little research has examined trajectories of stress and their relationship to trajectories of depression among elders. The purpose of this research was to determine whether growth in loss-related events occurs for elders and whether stress growth is related to the well-known growth in depressive symptomatology in later life.Three waves of National Institute on Aging Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (Duke University site) data were used in the analyses. Latent growth curve models were estimated for stress, for depressive symptoms, and for stress predicting depression net of several covariates.Findings include that (a) loss-events evidence clear growth across age at the aggregate level, but with much variation within the sample, and (b) variation in growth in stress is strongly related to variation in growth in depressive symptoms.The results suggest that stress in later life may be conceived of as a growth process, with strong consequences for trajectories of mental health.

Duke Scholars

Published In

The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences

DOI

EISSN

1758-5368

ISSN

1079-5014

Publication Date

March 2002

Volume

57

Issue

2

Start / End Page

S117 / S125

Related Subject Headings

  • White People
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Stress, Psychological
  • Sampling Studies
  • Risk Factors
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • North Carolina
  • Models, Psychological
  • Mental Health
  • Longitudinal Studies
 

Citation

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Lynch, S. M., & George, L. K. (2002). Interlocking trajectories of loss-related events and depressive symptoms among elders. The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 57(2), S117–S125. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/57.2.s117
Lynch, Scott M., and Linda K. George. “Interlocking trajectories of loss-related events and depressive symptoms among elders.The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 57, no. 2 (March 2002): S117–25. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/57.2.s117.
Lynch SM, George LK. Interlocking trajectories of loss-related events and depressive symptoms among elders. The journals of gerontology Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences. 2002 Mar;57(2):S117–25.
Lynch, Scott M., and Linda K. George. “Interlocking trajectories of loss-related events and depressive symptoms among elders.The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, vol. 57, no. 2, Mar. 2002, pp. S117–25. Epmc, doi:10.1093/geronb/57.2.s117.
Lynch SM, George LK. Interlocking trajectories of loss-related events and depressive symptoms among elders. The journals of gerontology Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences. 2002 Mar;57(2):S117–S125.
Journal cover image

Published In

The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences

DOI

EISSN

1758-5368

ISSN

1079-5014

Publication Date

March 2002

Volume

57

Issue

2

Start / End Page

S117 / S125

Related Subject Headings

  • White People
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Stress, Psychological
  • Sampling Studies
  • Risk Factors
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • North Carolina
  • Models, Psychological
  • Mental Health
  • Longitudinal Studies