Due to life-enhancing effects of antiretroviral therapy, HIV-positive persons have the potential for long life comparable to their uninfected peers. Older women (age 50+) living with HIV (OWLH) are often an under-recognized aging group. We conducted a systematic review to examine psychosocial factors that impact how OWLH live, cope, and age with HIV. Initial key word search yielded 1527 records, and 21 studies met our inclusion criteria of original quantitative or qualitative research published between 2013 and 2016 with results specific to OWLH. These focused on health care and self-management, sexual health and risk, stigma, loneliness, mental health (depression, substance use), and protective factors (coping, social support, well-being). Due to the scarcity of studies on each topic and inconclusive findings, no clear patterns of results emerged. As the number of OWLH continues to grow, more research, including longitudinal studies, is needed to fully characterize the psychosocial factors that impact aging with HIV.
by
Jennifer A. Smith;
Wei Zhao;
Kalyn Yasutake;
Carmella August;
Scott M. Ratliff;
Jessica D. Faul;
Eric Boerwinkle;
Aravinda Chakravarti;
Ana V. Diez Roux;
Yan Gao;
Michael E. Griswold;
Garardo Heiss;
Sharon L. R. Kardia;
Alanna C. Morrison;
Solomon K. Musani;
Stanford Mwasongwe;
Kari E. North;
Kathryn M. Rose;
Mario Sims;
Yan Sun;
David R. Weir;
Belinda L. Needham
Inter-individual variability in blood pressure (BP) is influenced by both genetic and nongenetic factors including socioeconomic and psychosocial stressors. A deeper understanding of the gene-by-socioeconomic/psychosocial factor interactions on BP may help to identify individuals that are genetically susceptible to high BP in specific social contexts. In this study, we used a genomic region-based method for longitudinal analysis, Longitudinal Gene-Environment-Wide Interaction Studies (LGEWIS), to evaluate the effects of interactions between known socioeconomic/ psychosocial and genetic risk factors on systolic and diastolic BP in four large epidemiologic cohorts of European and/or African ancestry. After correction for multiple testing, two interactions were significantly associated with diastolic BP. In European ancestry participants, outward/trait anger score had a significant interaction with the C10orf107 genomic region (p = 0.0019). In African ancestry participants, depressive symptom score had a significant interaction with the HFE genomic region (p = 0.0048). This study provides a foundation for using genomic region-based longitudinal analysis to identify subgroups of the population that may be at greater risk of elevated BP due to the combined influence of genetic and socioeconomic/psychosocial risk factors.
Psychosocial stress exposure is linked to the disruption of emotional regulation that can manifest as anxiety and depression. Women are more likely to suffer from such psychopathologies than men, indicating that sex-based differences in gonadal steroids may be a key factor in the aetiology of stress-induced adverse health outcomes. Oestradiol (E 2 ) positively influences mood and cognition in females, an effect likely related to the ability of E 2 to modulate the serotonin and dopamine neurotransmitter systems. Furthermore, genetic variation as a result of the polymorphism in the promoter region of the gene (SLC6A4) encoding the serotonin transporter (5HTTLPR) also can influence the ability of E 2 to modulate behaviour and physiology. However, it remains uncertain whether exposure to social stress interacts with the 5HTTLPR to influence E 2 -induced changes in behaviour and physiology. The present study used ovariectomised adult female rhesus monkeys to investigate acute and chronic effects of E 2 on central monoamine metabolite concentrations using cerobrospinal fluid sampling. We further assessed how E 2 -induced changes in monoamine metabolite levels are modified by the unpredictable stress of social subordination and the 5HTTLPR polymorphism. Levels of the serotonin metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid decreased significantly during chronic E 2 treatment only in dominant females with the long promoter length of SLC6A4. Chronic administration of E 2 decreased levels of the dopamine metabolite dihydrophenylacetic acid in a manner independent of the social status, 5HTTLPR genotype, or their interactions. Overall levels of dopamine and serotonin metabolites were increased in subordinate females, although this effect of social stress was not influenced by 5HTTLPR genotype. Together, these data emphasise how E 2 can modulate central neurotransmitter systems and indicate that social subordination in female monkeys is a valid model for examining how chronic psychosocial stress alters sensitivity to E 2 . Future studies are necessary to elaborate how changes in central neurotransmitter metabolism affect behaviour and physiology as a result of E 2 and prolonged exposure to stress.
by
David J. Miklowitz;
David A. Axelson;
Boris Birmaher;
Elizabeth L. George;
Dawn O. Taylor;
Christopher D. Schneck;
Carol A. Beresford;
W Edward Craighead;
David A. Brent
Research has begun to elucidate the optimal pharmacological treatments for pediatric-onset bipolar patients, but few studies have examined the role of psychosocial interventions as adjuncts to pharmacotherapy in maintenance treatment. This article describes an adjunctive family-focused psychoeducational treatment for bipolar adolescents (FFT-A). The adult version of FFT has been shown to be effective in forestalling relapses in two randomized clinical trials involving bipolar adults. FFT-A is administered to adolescents who have had an exacerbation of manic, depressed, or mixed symptoms within the last 3 months. It is given in 21 outpatient sessions of psychoeducation, communication enhancement training, and problem solving skills training. We describe modifications to the adult FFT model to address the developmental issues and unique clinical presentations of pediatric-onset patients. An open treatment trial involving 20 bipolar adolescents (11 boys, 9 girls; mean age 14.8±1.6) found that the combination of FFT-A and mood stabilizing medications was associated with improvements in depression symptoms, mania symptoms, and behavior problems over 1 year. These early results are based on a small-scale open trial. Results from an ongoing randomized controlled trial will clarify whether combining FFT-A with pharmacotherapy improves the 2-year course of adolescent bipolar disorder. If the results are positive, then a structured manual-based psychosocial approach will be available for clinicians who treat adolescent bipolar patients in the community.
by
S. Susan Hedayati;
Divya M. Daniel;
Scott Cohen;
Bryan Comstock Comstock;
Daniel Cukor;
Yaminette Diaz-Linhart;
Laura M. Dember;
Amelia Dubovsky;
Tom Greene;
Nancy Grote;
Patrick Heagerty;
Wayne Katon;
Paul L. Kimmel;
Nancy Kutner;
Lori Linke;
Davin Quinn;
Tessa Rue;
Madhukar H. Trivedi;
Mark Unruh;
Steven Weisbord;
Bessie A. Young;
Rajnish Mehrotra
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is highly prevalent in patients with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) treated with maintenance hemodialysis (HD). Despite the high prevalence and robust data demonstrating an independent association between depression and poor clinical and patient-reported outcomes, MDD is under-treated when identified in such patients. This may in part be due to the paucity of evidence confirming the safety and efficacy of treatments for depression in this population. It is also unclear whether HD patients are interested in receiving treatment for depression. ASCEND (Clinical Trials Identifier Number NCT02358343), A Trial of Sertraline vs. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for End-stage Renal Disease Patients with Depression, was designed as a multi-center, 12-week, open-label, randomized, controlled trial of prevalent HD patients with comorbid MDD or dysthymia. It will compare (1) a single Engagement Interview vs. a control visit for the probability of initiating treatment for comorbid depression in up to 400 patients; and (2) individual chair-side CBT vs. flexible-dose treatment with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, sertraline, for improvement of depressive symptoms in 180 of the up to 400 patients. The evolution of depressive symptoms will also be examined in a prospective longitudinal cohort of 90 HD patients who choose not to be treated for depression. We discuss the rationale and design of ASCEND, the first large-scale randomized controlled trial evaluating efficacy of non-pharmacologic vs. pharmacologic treatment of depression in HD patients for patient-centered outcomes.
BACKGROUND: Depression and depressive symptoms are risk factors for hypertension (HTN) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Hispanic women have higher rates of depressive symptoms compared to other racial/ethnic groups yet few studies have investigated its association with incident prehypertension and hypertension among postmenopausal Hispanic women. This study aims to assess if an association exists between baseline depression and incident hypertension at 3 years follow-up among postmenopausal Hispanic women.
METHODS: Prospective cohort study, Women's Health Initiative (WHI), included 4,680 Hispanic women who participated in the observational and clinical trial studies at baseline and at third-year follow-up. Baseline current depressive symptoms and past depression history were measured as well as important correlates of depression-social support, optimism, life events and caregiving. Multinomial logistic regression was used to estimate prevalent and incident prehypertension and hypertension in relation to depressive symptoms.
RESULTS: Prevalence of current baseline depression ranged from 26% to 28% by hypertension category and education moderated these rates. In age-adjusted models, women with depression were more likely to be hypertensive (OR = 1.25; 95% CI 1.04-1.51), although results were attenuated when adjusting for covariates. Depression at baseline in normotensive Hispanic women was associated with incident hypertension at year 3 follow-up (OR = 1.74; 95% CI 1.10-2.74) after adjustment for insurance and behavioral factors. However, further adjustment for clinical covariates attenuated the association. Analyses of psychosocial variables correlated with depression but did not alter findings. Low rates of antidepressant medication usage were also reported.
CONCLUSIONS: In the largest longitudinal study to date of older Hispanic women which included physiologic, behavioral and psychosocial moderators of depression, there was no association between baseline depressive symptoms and prevalent nor incident pre-hypertension and hypertension. We found low rates of antidepressant medication usage among Hispanic women suggesting a possible point for clinical intervention.
Studies consistently report that groups of individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) demonstrate increased levels of a variety of peripheral inflammatory biomarkers when compared with groups of nondepressed individuals. These findings are often interpreted as meaning that MDD, even in medically healthy individuals, may be an inflammatory condition. In this article, we examine evidence for and against this idea by looking more closely into what the actual patterns of inflammatory findings indicate in terms of the relationship between MDD and the immune system. Data are presented in support of the idea that inflammation only contributes to depression in a subset of patients versus the possibility that the depressogenic effect of inflammatory activation is more widespread and varies depending on the degree of vulnerability any given individual evinces in interconnected physiologic systems known to be implicated in the etiology of MDD. Finally, the treatment implications of these various possibilities are discussed.
by
Kimberly M. Henderson;
Cari Clark;
Tene Lewis;
Neelum T. Aggarwal;
Todd Beck;
Hongfei Guo;
Scott Lunos;
Ann Brearley;
Carlos F. Mendes de Leon;
Denis A. Evans;
Susan A. Everson-Rose
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE - : To investigate the association of psychosocial distress with risk of stroke mortality and incident stroke in older adults.
METHODS - : Data were from the Chicago Health and Aging Project, a longitudinal population-based study conducted in 3 contiguous neighborhoods on the south side of Chicago, IL. Participants were community-dwelling black and non-Hispanic white adults, aged 65 years and older (n=4120 for stroke mortality; n=2649 for incident stroke). Psychosocial distress was an analytically derived composite measure of depressive symptoms, perceived stress, neuroticism, and life dissatisfaction. Cox proportional hazards models examined the association of distress with stroke mortality and incident stroke over 6 years of follow-up.
RESULTS - : Stroke deaths (151) and 452 incident strokes were identified. Adjusting for age, race, and sex, the hazard ratio (HR) for each 1-SD increase in distress was 1.47 (95% confidence interval [CI]=1.28-1.70) for stroke mortality and 1.18 (95% CI=1.07-1.30) for incident stroke. Associations were reduced after adjustment for stroke risk factors and remained significant for stroke mortality (HR=1.29; 95% CI=1.10-1.52) but not for incident stroke (HR=1.09; 95% CI=0.98-1.21). Secondary analyses of stroke subtypes showed that distress was strongly related to incident hemorrhagic strokes (HR=1.70; 95% CI=1.28-2.25) but not ischemic strokes (HR=1.02; 95% CI=0.91-1.15) in fully adjusted models.
CONCLUSIONS - : Increasing levels of psychosocial distress are related to excess risk of both fatal and nonfatal stroke in older black and white adults. Additional research is needed to examine pathways linking psychosocial distress to cerebrovascular disease risk.
by
Karina W. Davidson;
J. Thomas Bigger;
Matthew M. Burg;
Robert M. Carney;
William F. Chaplin;
Susan Czajkowski;
Ellen Dornelas;
Joan Duer-Hefele;
Nancy Frasure-Smith;
Kenneth Freedland;
Donald C. Haas;
Allan S. Jaffe;
Joseph A. Ladapo;
Francois Lesperance;
Vivian Medina;
Jonathan D. Newman;
Gabrielle A. Osorio;
Faith Parsons;
Joseph E. Schwartz;
Jonathan A. Shaffer;
Viola Vaccarino
Importance: Controversy remains about whether depression can be successfully managed after acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and the costs and benefits of doing so.
Objective: To determine the effects of providing post-ACS depression care on depressive symptoms and health care costs. Design: Multicenter randomized controlled trial.
Setting: Patients were recruited from 2 private and 5 academic ambulatory centers across the United States.
Participants: A total of 150 patients with elevated depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory [BDI] score ≥10) 2 to 6 months after an ACS, recruited between March 18, 2010, and January 9, 2012.
Interventions: Patients were randomized to 6 months of centralized depression care (patient preference for prob-lem- solving treatment given via telephone or the Internet, pharmacotherapy, both, or neither), stepped every 6 to 8 weeks (active treatment group; n=73), or to locally determined depression care after physician notification about the patient's depressive symptoms (usual care group; n=77).
Main Outcome Measures: Change in depressive symptoms during 6 months and total health care costs.
Results: Depressive symptoms decreased significantly more in the active treatment group than in the usual care group (differential change between groups, -3.5 BDI points; 95% CI, -6.1 to -0.7; P =.01). Although mental health care estimated costs were higher for active treatment than for usual care, overall health care estimated costs were not significantly different (difference adjusting for confounding, -$325; 95% CI, -$2639 to $1989; P =.78).
Conclusions: For patients with post-ACS depression, active treatment had a substantial beneficial effect on depressive symptoms. This kind of depression care is feasible, effective, and may be cost-neutral within 6 months; therefore, it should be tested in a large phase 3 pragmatic trial.
Background: Many malnourished children in resource-poor settings fail to fulfill their developmental potential. Objective: The objectives of this analysis were to examine the nutritional, psychosocial, environmental, and household correlates of child development in Bihar, India, and identify mediators between dietary diversity and mental development. Methods: Using 2-stage cluster randomized sampling, we surveyed 4360 households with children 6-18 mo of age in the West Champaran district of Bihar. We measured motor and mental development with the use of the Developmental Milestones Checklist II. In a random subsample (n = 2838), we measured anthropometric characteristics and hemoglobin. Cluster-adjusted multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine the associations between nutrition indicators and development scores. Sobel's test was used to assess significant mediators in the association between diet diversity and development scores. Analyses were stratified by children 6-11 and 12-18 mo of age. Results: In all children, length-for-age z score (LAZ), dietary diversity, and psychosocial stimulation were significant (P < 0.05) correlates of motor development scores [(β coefficient ± SE) in children 6-11 mo: LAZ = 0.46 ± 0.08, dietary diversity = 0.43±0.09, and stimulation = 0.15±0.04; in children 12-18 mo: LAZ = 0.73±0.07, dietary diversity = 0.30±0.09, and stimulation = 0.316 0.05] and mental development scores [(b coefficient6 SE) in children 6-11 mo: LAZ = 0.576 0.10, dietary diversity = 0.84±0.13, and stimulation = 0.54±0.07; in children 12-18 mo: LAZ = 0.54±0.11, dietary diversity = 0.40±0.16, and stimulation = 0.62±0.09] . Stimulation, gross motor development, and fine motor development were significant mediators in the relation between dietary diversity and mental development. Conclusion: Strategies to improve dietary diversity and psychosocial stimulation could have important implications for child development of young North Indian children.