The association between religious orientation and life satisfaction in older adults living with morbidity and multimorbidity: a gender perspective in Malaysia.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about gender differences in the relationship between religious orientation and life satisfaction in older adults living with chronic disease(s). Therefore, the purpose of this article was to examine the moderating effect of gender on the association between religious orientation and life satisfaction in older adults living with morbidity and multimorbidity. METHODS: The study involved 1790 community-dwelling older adults aged 60 and above living with at least one chronic medical condition. The Satisfaction with Life Scale and Revised Intrinsic/Extrinsic Religious Orientation Scale were used to measure life satisfaction and religious orientation. Moderated hierarchical multiple regression was used to test the moderation effect. RESULTS: Results showed that while intrinsic religiosity was positively associated with life satisfaction, extrinsic religiosity was found to have a negative relationship with life satisfaction. Gender moderated the association between intrinsic religiosity and life satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggested that the positive impact of intrinsic religiosity on life satisfaction was stronger in older women living with morbidity and multimorbidity. Healthcare practitioners can help disadvantaged older women in identifying their religious values and practices to improve their subjective wellbeing.

Information processing speed as a mediator between psychosocial stress and global cognition in older adults.

BACKGROUND: The link between psychosocial stress and cognitive function is complex, and previous studies have indicated that it may be mediated by processing speed. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to examine whether processing speed mediates the association between psychosocial stress and global cognition in older adults. Moreover, the moderating role of gender in this model is examined as well. METHODS: The study included 2322 community-dwelling older adults in Malaysia who were randomly selected through a multistage proportional cluster random sampling technique. Global cognition construct was measured by the Mini-Mental State Examination and Montreal Cognitive Assessment; psychosocial stress construct was measured by perceived stress, depression, loneliness, and neuroticism; and processing speed was assessed by the Digit Symbol Substitution Test. Structural equation modelling was used to analyze the mediation and moderation tests. RESULTS: Processing speed was found to partially mediate the relationship between psychosocial stress and global cognition (ß in the direct model = -0.15, P < 0.001; ß in the full mediation model = -0.11, P < 0.001). Moreover, the relationship between psychosocial stress and global cognition was found to be significant in men only, whereas the association between processing speed and global cognition was significant in men and women. CONCLUSIONS: Psychosocial stress may increase the likelihood that older adults will experience poor processing capacity, which could reduce their higher level cognition. Results indicate that there is a need to develop processing capacity intervention programmes for psychologically distressed older adults to prevent them from suffering cognitive decline.

The impact of giving support to others on older adults' perceived health status.

BACKGROUND: Social support that may contribute to the physical and mental health of older adults is widely studied. However, much of the existing research has focused on the impact of receiving support; the effects of giving support have largely been neglected. Using the biopsychosocial perspective, this study aimed to examine the independent impact of giving support to others on older adults' perceived health status. METHODS: Data for this study were obtained from a nationwide community-based cross-sectional survey entitled 'Determinants of Wellness among Older Malaysians: A Health Promotion Perspective', which was conducted in 2010. To assess the unique effects of giving support on perceived health status, above and beyond other possible known factors, a four-step hierarchical regression model using SPSS was used to test the hypothesis. RESULTS: The findings from the analysis revealed that giving support to others was a significant positive predictor of older adults' perceived health status after receiving support, demographic variables and chronic medical conditions were considered. Further results showed that giving support to others had almost twice the effect on perceived health status (ß = 0.11, P < 0.001) as receiving support (ß = 0.06, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The findings from this study underscore the need to develop programmes that encourage older adults' participation in productive activities such as caring for and helping others and volunteering.

Sociodemographic predictors of elderly's psychological well-being in Malaysia.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Psychological well-being as one of the most important indicators of successful aging has received substantial attention in the gerontological literature. Prior studies show that sociodemographic factors influencing elderly's psychological well-being are multiple and differ across cultures. The aim of this study was to identify significant sociodemographic predictors of psychological well-being among Malay elders. METHODOLOGY: The study included 1415 older Malays (60-100 years, 722 women), randomly selected through a multistage stratified random method from Peninsular Malaysia. WHO-Five well-being index was used to measure psychological well-being. Data analysis was conducted using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 13.0. RESULTS: Using multiple regression analysis a significant model emerged (F(7, 1407) = 20.14, p ≤ 0.001), where age, sex, marital status, and household income were significant predictor variables of psychological well-being among Malay elders. However, level of education, employment status, and place of residence failed to predict psychological well-being. CONCLUSION: This study showed that the oldest old, elderly women, unmarried, and the poor elderly people are at risk for experiencing low psychological well-being. Therefore, they need special attention from family, policy makers, and those who work with elderly people.

The Association Between Diabetes and Cognitive Function in Later Life.

INTRODUCTION: Although diabetes through several possible mechanisms such as increased microvascular pathology and inefficiency of glucose utilization during cognitive tasks can be associated with cognitive impairment, there is inconclusive evidence that shows elderly diabetic patients under therapy have higher cognitive function compared to their non-diabetics counterparts. The present study was conducted to elucidate the association between diabetes and cognitive function in later life. METHODS: Data for this study, consisting of 2202 older adults aged 60 years and above, were taken from a population-based survey entitled "Identifying Psychosocial and Identifying Economic Risk Factor of Cognitive Impairment among Elderly. Data analysis was conducted using the IBM SPSS Version 23.0. RESULTS: The mean of MMSE was found to be 22.67 (SD = 4.93). The overall prevalence of selfreported diabetes was found to be 23.6% (CI95%: 21.8% - 25.4%). The result of independent t-test showed diabetic subjects had a higher mean score of MMSE (M = 23.05, SD =4 .55) than their counterparts without diabetes (M = 22.55, SD = 5.04) (t = -2.13 p<.05). The results of multiple linear regression analysis showed that diabetes was not significantly associated with cognitive function, after controlling the possible confounding factors. CONCLUSIONS: The findings from the current study revealed that diabetes is not associated with cognitive decline. This study supports the findings that long-term treatment of diabetes may reduce the risk of cognitive decline. This finding may provide new opportunities for the prevention and management of cognitive decline.

Sexual intimacy in later life: From the perspectives of older couples in Malaysia.

AIM: To identify the determinants of sexual intimacy among married older people in Malaysia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 1294 married Malaysian older couples who were randomly selected from all 14 states in Malaysia. The data were collected by trained enumerators using a set of validated questionnaires consisting of eight sections, namely sociodemographic characteristics, chronic diseases, perceived health status, life satisfaction, body mass index, disability status (World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule), social support (Lubben Social Network Scale) and sexual intimacy. RESULTS: Having good social support (AOR 0.57, 95% CI 0.45-0.74) from family and friends were protective determinants against poor sexual intimacy in later life. Meanwhile, those who were aged 70-79 years (AOR 1.81, 95% CI 1.35-2.42), aged >80 years (AOR 35.49, 95% CI 4.80-262.18), women (AOR 1.47, 95% CI 1.13-1.90), non-Malay (AOR 1.93, 95% CI 1.50-2.48), received only informal education (AOR 1.81, 95% CI 1.35-2.42), had gastritis (AOR 2.62, 95% CI 1.58-4.34), had a stroke (AOR 3.83, 95% CI 1.04-14.12), perceived their current health status was satisfactory (AOR 1.52, 95% CI 1.15-2.00) and disabled based on the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (AOR 3.14, 95% CI 1.34-7.36) were at risk of poor sexual intimacy. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of older Malaysian couples were having poor sexual intimacy despite being still married and sleeping with their partners, reflecting the presence of underlying barriers towards sexual intimacy in later life among older Malaysians. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2019; 19: 492-496.

Moderating effect of emotional support on the relationship between disability and life satisfaction in older adults.

AIM: Disability is strongly linked to poorer life satisfaction among older persons. Such close correlations warrant better understanding of the underlying moderator in which negative effects of the former on the latter can be reduced. More specifically, it is the aim of this study to examine the moderating effect of emotional support on the relationship between disability and life satisfaction. METHODS: The study included 2322 nationally represented community-dwelling older persons in Malaysia who participated in the baseline study of Neuroprotective Model for Healthy Longevity. In order to test the moderating effect of emotional support on the association between disability and life satisfaction, a series of hierarchical multiple linear regression models were utilized, after controlling for potential covariates associated with life satisfaction. RESULTS: Bivariate analyses showed that disability negatively predicted life satisfaction, whereas emotional support positively predicted life satisfaction. Furthermore, the moderated hierarchical regression analysis showed that emotional support moderated the association between disability and life satisfaction, after controlling for potential covariates, such that the negative relationship between disability and life satisfaction was stronger for individuals with lower levels of emotional support. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of emotional support might reduce the negative effects of disability on life satisfaction. These findings have important clinical implications, especially in developing better strategies to help disabled older persons to cope with their disabilities; with the hope that in the long term, a society with healthy longevity can be established. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2018; 18: 1361-1365.

Body Mass Index (BMI) and Cognitive Functions in Later Life.

BACKGROUND: The findings from previous studies exploring the association between BMI and cognitive function in the elderly are conflicting. The purpose of the present study is twofold; to verify the association between BMI and cognitive functions and examine whether this association is impacted by height, when adjusted for possible covariates. METHODS: The data for this study, consisted of 2287 older adults aged 60 years and above, drawn from a nationally representative population-based survey entitled "Determinants of Wellness among Older Malaysians: A Health Promotion Perspective" conducted in 2009. RESULTS: The mean age of the respondents was 68.7 (SD=6.6) years. The average score of cognitive function, measured by MMSE was 24.5 (SD=5.6). About 40% of the respondents were classified as overweight. Results of the multiple linear regression analysis revealed a significant association between BMI and cognitive function (Beta=.10, p<.001). The Factorial ANCOVA revealed significant interaction effect between BMI and height on cognitive function (F= 10.8, p<.001), after adjusting for possible covariates. CONCLUSION: The findings from the current study indicating the positive association between BMI and cognitive function depends on height, therefore it is suggested that short people might be targeted for dementia prevention.

Examining the Disability Model From the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health Using a Large Data Set of Community-Dwelling Malaysian Older Adults.

OBJECTIVE: This study examines the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health model (ICF) using a data set of 2,563 community-dwelling elderly with disease-independent measures of mobility, physical activity, and social networking, to represent ICF constructs. METHOD: The relationship between chronic disease and disability (independent and dependent variables) was examined using logistic regression. To demonstrate variability in activity performance with functional impairment, graphing was used. The relationship between functional impairment, activity performance, and social participation was examined graphically and using ANOVA. The impact of cognitive deficits was quantified through stratifying by dementia. RESULTS: Disability is strongly related to chronic disease (Wald 25.5, p < .001), functional impairment with activity performance (F = 34.2, p < .001), and social participation (F= 43.6, p < .001). With good function, there is considerable variability in activity performance (inter-quartile range [IQR] = 2.00), but diminishes with high impairment (IQR = 0.00) especially with cognitive deficits. DISCUSSION: Environment modification benefits those with moderate functional impairment, but not with higher grades of functional loss.

Assessment of factors influencing morale in the elderly.

BACKGROUND: We examined the relationship between morale measured by the Philadelphia Geriatric Morale Scale (PGC) and disability, social support, religiosity, and personality traits. Instruments predicting morale were then tested against PGC domains. METHODS: The study utilized a cross-sectional survey with a multistage cluster sampling design. Instruments used were disability (disease burden; WHO Disability Score-II, WHODAS-II), social support (Duke Social Support Scale, DUSOCS; Lubben Social Network Scale, LSNS-6; Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey, MOS-SSS), religiosity (Revised Intrinsic-Extrinsic Religious Orientation Scale, I/E-R), and personality (Ten-Item Personality Inventory, TIPI). These were plotted as bar charts against PGC, resolved with one-way ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis tests, then corrected for multiple comparisons. This process was repeated with PGC domains. Contribution of factors was modeled using population attributable risk (PAR) and odds ratios. Effect of confounders such as gender, age, and ethnicity were checked using binary logistic regression. RESULTS: All instruments showed clear relationships with PGC, with WHODAS-II and DUSOCS performing well (ANOVA p<0.001). For PGC domains, attitude toward aging and lonely dissatisfaction trended together, while agitation did not. PAR, odds ratios, and Exp(ß) were disability (WHODAS-II: 28.5%, 3.8, 2.8), social support (DUSOCS: 28.0%, 3.4, 2.2), religiosity (I/E-R: 21.6%, 3.2, 2.1), and personality (TIPI: 27.9%, 3.6, 2.4). Combined PAR was 70.9%. CONCLUSIONS: Disability, social support, religiosity, and personality strongly influence morale in the elderly. WHODAS-II and DUSOCS perform best in measuring disability and social support respectively.