Parental self-efficacy (PSE) is a central aspect of parenting research. Although parenting continues in older ages, few studies have focused on PSE among older adults. In line with the parenting determinant model, the study examined the associations between psychological distress, social support, loneliness, and PSE in older age.

The study used a quantitative cross-sectional survey, including 362 Israeli parents age 65 years and above. Participants were asked to complete questionnaires of psychological distress, social support, loneliness, PSE, and background information.

Results revealed that higher PSE was associated with lower psychological distress, higher social support, and a lower sense of loneliness in older adults. The research model explained 36.9 per cent of the variance in PSE among older adults.

Mental state and social conditions are important for PSE of older adults; therefore, professionals should ensure the availability of diverse solutions to enable, maintain, and promote well-being through social and familial engagement in this population.

International studies have demonstrated associations between sleep problems and poor psychological well-being; however, Canadian data are limited. This study investigated this association using cross-sectional baseline data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging, a national survey of 30,097 community-dwelling adults, 45–85 years of age. Short sleep duration, sleep dissatisfaction, insomnia symptoms, and daytime impairment were consistently associated with a higher prevalence of dissatisfaction with life, psychological distress, and poor self-reported mental health. Long sleep duration was associated with a higher prevalence of psychological distress and poor self-reported mental health, but not with dissatisfaction with life. Associations between sleep problems and psychological distress were 11–18 per cent stronger in males. With each 10-year increase in age, the association between daytime impairment and life dissatisfaction increased by 11 per cent, and insomnia symptoms and poor mental health decreased by 11 per cent. Sleep problems in middle-aged and older adults warrant increased attention as a public health problem in Canada.

This article presents the first nationally representative analysis of the association between racial discrimination and psychological distress among older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Results show: (1) experiences of racism (as measured by unfair treatment) and avoidance are encountered by a significant minority of older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people; (2) there is a clear association between experiences of racism and avoidance with psychological distress, with these results being robust to a range of confounding factors and complex survey design features; and (3) the associations between racism and distress are amplified by the severity of racism, and, when occurring, with avoidance. The association remains strong or is strengthened when racism and avoidance occur in contexts or situations crucial to the human capital development of older people (e.g., health care, education, and the workplace). Our findings underscore the importance of culturally safe health and social services/programs and further the imperative to address discrimination in all its forms.

Care aides working in nursing homes are often exposed to responsive behaviours in older adults living with Alzheimer’s disease. As these behaviors may induce psychological distress, the current research aims to estimate the contribution of a set of variables on the psychological distress reported by care aides. Variables include perceived frequency of responsive behaviours, primary and secondary cognitive appraisal, and coping strategies. A total of ninety-two day care aides were recruited in nursing homes in the Quebec City area. Standard multiple regression was completed and findings show that frequency of responsive behaviours, primary appraisal of threat, secondary appraisal (feeling incapable of changing the situation) and seeking emotional support contribute to care aides’ psychological distress. This study highlights the importance of responsive behaviours on the units and discusses the psychological mechanisms used by care aides.

In this study we examined the longitudinal relationships between five dimensions of social support and psychological distress to determine whether (1) social support was related to subsequent psychological distress levels; or (2) if distress levels were related to subsequent social support levels; or (3) if distress and support had a reciprocal (bi-directional) relationship across time. Using bivariate autoregressive cross-lagged models, we analysed data from 2,564 older adults. We found support for the reciprocal relationship between affectionate support and distress. Higher psychological distress was related to subsequently higher levels of positive social interaction, and significantly related to subsequently higher emotional/informational support. No significant relationship was found between tangible and structural support and psychological distress. This study demonstrates that different types of support are associated in correspondingly different ways with psychological distress, and that psychological distress may be important in predicting levels of social support two years later.

L'objectif de la présente étude était de déterminer si les embêtements, les évaluations cognitives et les stratégies d'adaptation contribuent au développement de la détresse psychologique chez les veuves âgées. Cent huit femmes âgées (M = 69.17 ans), veuves en moyenne depuis 18.54 mois, ont participé à l'étude sur une base volontaire. Les analyses de régression multiple ont démontré que le facteur Santé de l'Échelle des Embêtements pour Personnes âgées, une Menace à l'estime de soi de l'Évaluation Primaire et la stratégie Echappement-évitement de l'échelle des Façons de Composer avec une Situation Stressante contribuent à expliquer 65 pour cent de la variance de la détresse psychologique telle que mesurée par l'Inventaire Bref des Symptômes. Les coefficients standardisés ont indiqué que la Santé était la variable la plus importante pour prédire le niveau de détresse. Les implications méthodologiques ainsi que des suggestions de projets futurs sont abordées.

Data from the Quebec Health Survey (QHS) were used to examine the influence of physical health status on responses to the somatic and affective-cognitive components ofthe QHS psychological distress inventory (PDI) in three age groups (n = 600): 18–39 years, 40–64 years and 65 years and over. A structural equation modelling strategy using LISKEL VIII was employed to test an explanatory model of the association between physical health and both components of the PDI. The model included sex, perceived life stress, social support, and marital status as covariates. Results showed that the affective-cognitive component of distress was the main explanatory factor in the somatic symptom index. Results also indicated that physical health directly affects responses to the somatic component of the PDI. However, the same effect of physical health on responses to somatic symptoms was found in all three age groups. Findings lead to the conclusion that using a psychological distress measure that includes somatic items, like the PDI, will result in a small overestimation of psychological distress in older adults and younger age groups as well. However, somatic items do not introduce a differential bias in the estimation of respondents' psychological distress status according to age.

While an association between UI and psychological distress among older adults has been established in the literature, the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain less clear. Using a sample of 4,689 older adults from the Canadian Community Health Survey (1.1), we test the potential mediating and moderating effects of four dimensions of social support on the UI–distress relationship. Incontinent older adults are significantly more likely to report higher levels of distress than continent adults. Although we do not find support for a mediating effect of any of the dimensions of social support, we do report a significant interaction between one dimension of social support (tangible support) and UI. A buffering effect of tangible support is evident for continent – but not incontinent – respondents. These findings emphasize the need to assess the types of social support and the context in which they operate.

A sample of frail older adults (65 years and over) living at home or institutionalized (n = 664) with a significant functional limitation was used to document predisposing and facilitating factors of severe psychological distress among frail elderly adults. Our results indicated that 48.2 per cent of the older adults living at home presented severe psychological distress symptoms, compared to 34.3 per cent of elderly adults living in institutions. The probability of reporting a severe level of psychological distress was associated with the respondents' social support, cognitive and functional status. When the respondents' cognitive and functional status were controlled, no evidence of a significant association was found between the respondents' age, gender, marital status, education or income and the level of their psychological distress symptoms. Our results showed that 77.9 per cent of the respondents with severe psychological distress symptoms were still severely distressed 12 months after their first interview. Findings suggest that severe psychological distress represents an important challenge for practitioners in gerontology and geriatrics. It is suggested that other studies focusing on the consequences of psychological distress on older adults' quality of life, functional decline, institutionalization and mortality may help document the gravity of this symptomatology in the elderly population.

To document the use of health services for psychological distress symptoms, we collected data from a cross-section of adults aged 65 years and over. Nearly 13 per cent met DSM-IV criteria for mood or anxiety disorders. In addition, 42.4 per cent of those having at least one DSM-IV diagnosis reported having used health services. Results show a direct association between the presence of a probable DSM-IV diagnosis and health service use. However, our results show no significant association between gender and health service use, and do not support the hypothesis that minimal social support increases the probability of older adults using health services for psychological distress. The analysis suggests unmarried elders are more likely than married elders to use health services. Furthermore, this study shows that older adults having a high level of daily hassles reported using health services for psychological distress than those reporting a low stress level. We conclude that a large proportion of elderly mental health needs in Quebec are potentially not being met.