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Objective: To investigate the cross-sectional association between personality characteristics and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis regulation in older persons. Methods: The study sample consisted of 1,150 participants (mean age 74.8 ± 7.1 years, 48% male) from the population-based Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam. HPA axis activity was measured with salivary cortisol collected after awakening and late in the evening. Outcome measures were awakening and evening cortisol levels (natural log transformed) and the diurnal pattern of cortisol. Determinants were scores on questionnaires assessing neuroticism, mastery, and self-esteem. Results: Multiple linear regression analyses adjusted for potential confounders did not show significant associations between any of the personality characteristics and any of the cortisol measures. On evening cortisol, a significant interaction was observed between neuroticism and age (B = -0.001; T = -2.50, df = 1,139;p value = 0.01). After stratification in two age groups, the authors observed that high levels of neuroticism were associated with elevated levels of evening cortisol in subjects aged <75 years (B = 0.02; 95% confidence interval: 0.010-0.03; T = 2.15, df = 630, p 0.03) but not in subjects aged 75 years or older. Conclusions: The findings of this large population-based study of older persons suggest that the personality characteristics mastery and self-esteem are not associated with HPA axis regulation as measured with salivary awakening and evening cortisol. However, high neuroticism may be associated with elevated levels of evening cortisol in the younger old but not in the older old. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Prayer is generally recognized as an important aspect of religiousness. Relatively few empiric studies examined the relation between prayer and depressive symptoms in later life, and findings so far are mixed. Method: Respondents, aged 60-91 years, participated in the third (N= 1,702) and fourth (N= 1,346) assessment cycles, with three-year intervals, of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam. Data were collected on frequency of prayer, perceived meaningfulness of prayer, religious affiliation, church attendance, salience of religion, demographics, and health variables. Depressive symptoms were assessed with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale. Results: In the total sample, there was no significant association between frequency of prayer and depressive symptoms. Among those who were not religiously affiliated, prayer was associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms. The results were particularly pronounced among nonaffiliated widowed respondents; odds ratio for praying daily associated with having Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale scores of 16 and higher amounted to 3.59 (99% confidence interval: 1.01-11.79). At three-year follow up, prayer did not predict change of depressive symptoms. Conclusions: As secularization in Western Europe progresses, the current results suggest that clinical exploration of private religiousness among older patients remains relevant, also among people who seem to be less religious. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The authors examined whether personality characteristics such as mastery, self-efficacy, and neuroticism predict the likelihood of recovery of depression among elderly in the community. It was hypothesized that these personality characteristics do predict recovery but that their effect is overwhelmed by the effect of deteriorations in physical health, cognitive decline, and loss of social resources. The second research question investigated whether these personality characteristics moderate the negative impact of the other prognostic factors on the chance of recovery. Methods: A prospective (nine-year) follow-up study of 206 depressed elderly (55-85 years at baseline) participants of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam. Data on chance of recovery were analyzed using Cox proportional regression analyses. Results: Both in the univariate and in the multivariate model, the personality characteristics, especially neuroticism, predicted recovery of depression. The effect of neuroticism was similar to that of physical health and stronger than the impact of cognitive decline or social resources. No support was found for personality as a moderator of the negative impact of age-related stressors. Conclusions: Personality characteristics, i.e., neuroticism and physical health-related variables are separate but equally important domains for the chance of recovery of depression in later life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]