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Objective: To examine the associations between ADHD and social functioning and participation among older adults. Method: Data were used from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA). In 2008/2009, respondents were asked about social functioning and participation. A diagnostic interview to diagnose ADHD was administered among a subsample ( N = 231, age 60-94 years). ADHD diagnosis and level of ADHD symptoms were assessed. Results: ADHD diagnosis was associated with being divorced/never married, having less family members in their network, and emotional loneliness. Level of ADHD symptoms was associated with more emotional support given, emotional and social loneliness, greater recreational social participation, and lower income level. Conclusion: ADHD in old age is related to being divorced/never married and loneliness but not to work participation. Psycho geriatric practices should direct their attention to loneliness when treating ADHD.

Objectives:This study examines the association of hearing impairment and chronic diseases (diabetes mellitus, lung disease, cardiac disease, stroke, cancer, peripheral artery disease, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis) with psychosocial status (depression, self-efficacy, mastery, loneliness, social network size) in older persons. Methods:The sample consists of 3,107 persons (55 to 85 years) participating in the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam. MANOVA, adjusted for covariates, was used to test the effect of hearing impairment on the combined outcomes. The association of hearing impairment and chronic diseases with psychosocial status was studied using multivariate regression analyses. Results:Hearing impaired elderly report significantly more depressive symptoms, lower self-efficacy and mastery, more feelings of loneliness, and a smaller social network than normally hearing peers. Whereas chronic diseases show significant associations with some outcomes, hearing impairment is significantly associated with all psychosocial variables. Discussion:The findings emphasize the negative effect of hearing impairment on quality of life.

Objectives:This study examines whether patterns of social network size, functional social support, and loneliness are different for older persons with different types of chronic diseases. Methods:In a community-based sample of 2,788 men and women age 55 to 85 years participating in the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam, chronic diseases status, social network size, support exchanges, and loneliness were assessed. Results:Social network size and emotional support exchanges were not associated with disease status. The only differences between healthy and chronically ill people were found for receipt of instrumental support and loneliness. Disease characteristics played a differential role: greater feelings of loneliness were mainly found for persons with lung disease or arthritis, and receiving more instrumental support was mainly found for persons with arthritis or stroke. Discussion:The specifics of a disease appear to play a (small) role in the receipt of instrumental support and feelings of loneliness of chronically ill older persons.

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of physical activity and the possible mediating role of perceived physical self-efficacy (PPSE) on self-rated health (SRH) in the 55- to 89-year-old Dutch population. The data are based on a structured interview carried out in a random sample of 120 subjects-60 men and 60 women with the average ages of 69 and 71 years, respectively-in Sassenheim, the Netherlands, as a pilot study of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA). The results of linear multiple regression analyses showed that physical activity was a significant predictor of self-rated health. Moreover, the results supported the role of PPSE as a mediator in the association between physical activity and self-rated health status even when age, gender, and chronic diseases were controlled. These findings suggest that in the elder population, increasing perceived physical self-efficacy may be more important for perceived health than raising the level of physical activity.

Until recently, the study of interviewer effects has focused on establishing direct effects of interviewer characteristics on respondent response. Recently, an alternative approach has been developed which emphasizes the conditioning influence of the interviewer characteristic on the respondent s answering process. The objective of this paper is to illustrate this alternative approach with empirical evidence, using the random coefficient hierarchical regression model. This model's structure is basically as follows. First, the answering process is described at the level of the respondent. Subsequently, respondent specific parameters are related to interviewer specific variables. This structure allows inclusion of the coefficient resulting from the intra-interviewer regression in the regression equation at the interviewer level (inter-interviewer regression model). Thus, the variance to be explained is split up in a respondent part (level 1) and an interviewer part (level 2). This two-level model is applied to data collected in the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA: 2838 respondents within 43 interviewers). The dependent variable is a scale indicating well-being (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale): background variables on respondent level are age. sex. and self-perceived health. Interviewer variables are age, education, personality traits and social skills. Questionnaire Surreys, Response Process, Interviewer Influence, Multilevel Analyse.

The interrelation of six facets of control and their ability to predict well-being in older persons were studied in an age and gender stratified community sample aged fifty-five to eighty-nine. An extended conceptual framework of control facets is introduced including “established” facets, such as mastery, self-efficacy and internal health locus of control and “new” control facets such as neuroticism, social inadequacy, and sense of coherence. An interview and a postal questionnaire included measures of the control facets and the Affect Balance Scale. Correlations between control measures were mostly modest. Negative affect was predicted by neuroticism and sense of coherence. Tendencies of independent association of mastery with global well-being and of social inadequacy with positive affect were established.

This study aimed to determine the predictors of entering a hearing aid evaluation period (HAEP) using a prospective design drawing on the health belief model and the transtheoretical model. In total, 377 older persons who presented with hearing problems to an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist ( n = 110) or a hearing aid dispenser ( n = 267) filled in a baseline questionnaire. After 4 months, it was determined via a telephone interview whether or not participants had decided to enter a HAEP. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were applied to determine which baseline variables predicted HAEP status. A priori, candidate predictors were divided into 'likely' and 'novel' predictors based on the literature. The following variables turned out to be significant predictors: more expected hearing aid benefits, greater social pressure, and greater self-reported hearing disability. In addition, greater hearing loss severity and stigma were predictors in women but not in men. Of note, the predictive effect of self-reported hearing disability was modified by readiness such that with higher readiness, the positive predictive effect became stronger. None of the 'novel' predictors added significant predictive value. The results support the notion that predictors of hearing aid uptake are also predictive of entering a HAEP. This study shows that some of these predictors appear to be gender specific or are dependent on a person's readiness for change. After assuring the external validity of the predictors, an important next step would be to develop prediction rules for use in clinical practice, so that older persons' hearing help-seeking journey can be facilitated.