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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Social productivity and depressive symptoms in early old age
— results from the GAZEL study | | Author(s) | M Wahrendorf, C Ribet, M Zins |
| Journal title | Aging & Mental Health, vol 12, no 3, May 2008 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis, May 2008 |
| Pages | pp 310-316 |
| Source | http://www.tandfonline.com |
| Keywords | Participation ; Voluntary work [elderly] ; Informal care ; Depression ; Symptoms ; Middle aged ; Social surveys ; France. |
| Annotation | This is one of seven articles in this issue of Aging & Mental Health on the theme "Promoting mental health in later life". The authors test associations or frequency of performing three types of socially productive activities (voluntary work, informal help, and caring for a person) with depressive symptoms in older people. Are depressive symptoms negatively associated with frequency in all three types or rather in those activities that are characterised by a high degree of autonomy and personal control? Data on social activities and frequency of performance were collected in the frame of the annual follow-up of the French GAZEL cohort study in 2005 (of 1447 people aged 52-66 working for the national gas and electricity companies). Depressive symptoms were measured by the CES-D scale. Perceived control was assessed by two items of quality of life measure (CASP-19). In activities characterised by high autonomy (particularly voluntary work), a negative association of frequency with depressive symptoms was observed, whereas the reverse effect was found in the type of activity with low autonomy (care for a person). Perceived control mediated in part the association of frequency of activity with depressive symptoms. Being often socially productive in early old age may contribute to well-being to the extent that autonomy and perceived control are given. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-081124204 A |
| Classmark | TMB: GHH: P6: ENR: CT: SE: 3F: 765 |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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