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34 results on '"Ayotte, Brian J."'

9. Physical health and depression: a dyadic study of chronic health conditions and depressive symptomatology in older adult couples

Author

Ayotte, Brian J., Yang, Frances M., and Jones, Richard N.

Subjects
Aged -- Psychological aspects, Aged -- Health aspects, Depression in old age -- Risk factors, Depression in old age -- Development and progression, Health, Psychology and mental health, Seniors
Abstract

This study examined the associations among chronic health conditions, sociodemographic factors, and depressive symptomatology in older married couples. Data from the 2004 wave of the Health and Retirement Study (n = 2,184 couples) were analyzed. Results indicated a reciprocal relationship in depressive symptoms between spouses. Additionally, post hoc analyses indicated that husbands' stroke and high blood pressure were related to increased depressive symptomatology among wives. Beyond the reciprocal relationship, husbands were unaffected by wives' health. These results suggest sex differences underlying psychological distress in the context of physical health among older adults and that older women with husbands who have high levels of depressive symptomatology, high blood pressure, or a history of stroke may be at particular risk of experiencing depressive symptoms. Key Words: Chronic illness--Depression--Dyadic--Spouses. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbq033.

Published
2010

19. Racial differences in hypertension knowledge: effects of differential item functioning.

Author

Ayotte, Brian J and Ayotte, Brian J

Abstract

Health-related knowledge is an important component in the self-management of chronic illnesses. The objective of this study was to more accurately assess racial differences in hypertension knowledge by using a latent variable modeling approach that controlled for sociodemographic factors and accounted for measurement issues in the assessment of hypertension knowledge. Cross-sectional data from 1,177 participants (45% African American; 35% female) were analyzed using a multiple indicator multiple causes (MIMIC) modeling approach. Available sociodemographic data included race, education, sex, financial status, and age. All participants completed six items on a hypertension knowledge questionnaire. Overall, the final model suggested that females, Whites, and patients with at least a high school diploma had higher latent knowledge scores than males, African Americans, and patients with less than a high school diploma, respectively. The model also detected differential item functioning (DIF) based on race for two of the items. Specifically, the error rate for African Americans was lower than would be expected given the lower level of latent knowledge on the items, on the questions related to: (a) the association between high blood pressure and kidney disease, and (b) the increased risk African Americans have for developing hypertension. Not accounting for DIF resulted in the difference between Whites and African Americans to be underestimated. These results are discussed in the context of the need for careful measurement of health-related constructs, and how measurement-related issues can result in an inaccurate estimation of racial differences in hypertension knowledge.

Published
2009

32. Using the social cognitive theory to investigate physical activity in middle-aged and older married couples: A dyadic perspective.

Author

Ayotte, Brian J

Abstract

Research suggests that physical activity is positively associated with mental and physical health outcomes for adults of all ages. However, despite concerted effort to increase the activity levels of adults, the rates of adults who engage in regular physical activity remain low. The present study had two primary objectives: (a) to examine dyadically the role of self-efficacy and spousal self-efficacy in the amount of physical activity in which middle-aged and older adults engage, and (b) to test the full social cognitive theory in terms of how well it explains the variance in physical activity in a sample of middle-aged and older adult married couples. Data from 116 married couples between the ages of 50 and 75 were collected via mail-out surveys. With regard to the first objective, results indicated that self-efficacy was related to physical activity for husbands and wives, but that partner self-efficacy was not. To further examine spousal influences on physical activity, post-hoc analyses examined the role of perceived support. This model indicated that self-efficacy was again related to physical activity in husbands and wives. In addition, women’s self-efficacy was related to the physical activity of their husbands through husbands’ reported perceived support, whereas husbands’ self-efficacy was directly related to the physical activity of their wives. Findings from the second research objective indicated that the factors in the social cognitive model accounted for a substantial amount of the variance in physical activity (R2 = .61). Specifically, the final results indicated a three-stage model in which self-efficacy was directly and indirectly related to physical activity. The indirect association between self-efficacy and physical activity was through outcome expectancies and perceived barriers, which were then related to self-regulatory behavior, which was, in turn, related to physical activity. Findings from this study can be applied to the design of physical activity interventions. Specifically, the results suggest that the social cognitive theory can be used as a theoretical framework for interventions, and that interventions should consider spousal characteristics in order to maximize the success of physical activity interventions.

Published
2007

33. Social support, physical functioning, and cognitive functioning among older African American adults.

Author

Ayotte BJ, Allaire JC, and Whitfield KE

Subjects
Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Aging physiology, Cognition, Disability Evaluation, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Language Tests, Male, Middle Aged, Models, Statistical, Psychological Tests, United States epidemiology, Black or African American psychology, Aging psychology, Social Support
Abstract

Social support and functional ability are related to a number of outcomes in later life among African Americans, including cognitive performance. This study examined how providing and receiving social support was related to fluid and crystallized cognitive abilities among aging African American adults after accounting for functional limitations, age, education, sex, income, and self-reported health. Data from 602 African American adults (M = 69.08, SD = 9.74; 25% male) were analyzed using latent variable modeling. Fluid ability was a second-order factor indicated by measures that assessed verbal memory, working memory, perceptual speed, and inductive reasoning. Crystallized ability was a first-order factor indicated by three measures that assessed vocabulary (Shipley Verbal Meaning Test and parts A and B of the ETS Vocabulary Test). Results indicated that the receipt of social support was negatively related to both fluid and crystallized abilities, while the provision of support was positively related to fluid and crystallized ability. Follow-up tests found that the receipt of support was more strongly related to fluid ability than crystallized ability. There was no significant difference regarding the relationship of provision of support with fluid ability compared to crystallized ability. Results discuss the importance of considering the social context of older adults when examining cognitive ability.

Published
2013
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34. The associations of patient demographic characteristics and health information recall: the mediating role of health literacy.

Author

Ayotte BJ, Allaire JC, and Bosworth H

Subjects
Adult, Black or African American, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Aging, Educational Status, Female, Humans, Hypertension, Male, Middle Aged, Models, Psychological, Racial Groups, Sex Characteristics, Socioeconomic Factors, United States, White People, Young Adult, Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice, Mental Recall
Abstract

We examined the mediating role of health literacy in the relationships between participant demographic characteristics and health information recall. Baseline data from two studies that focused on hypertensive adults (N = 1190; M = 62.28 years, SD = 11.98; 35.5% female; 45.9% African-American) were analyzed. The final model, which adjusted for recruitment site, indicated that financial status, race, and education were indirectly related to health information recall through health literacy. Increasing education was also directly related to better health information recall. Increasing age was not related to health literacy, but was related to poorer health information recall. The final model fit the data very well, chi(2)(3) = 0.69, p = .36, RMSEA = .000 (90% CI = .000 to .024), CFI = 1.00. The results suggest that health literacy might be one of the mechanisms underlying the relationships between participant demographic characteristics and poor health outcomes due to inaccurate recall of instructions.

Published
2009
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