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• Loneliness is a risk factor for increasing chronic inflammation. • Social engagement may be a protective factor, reducing chronic inflammation. • There is a loop between inflammation and loneliness and social engagement. • Findings were similar in both dried blood spots and venous blood samples. • Phenotypic and genotypic depression could modify the loneliness inflammation loop. Social psychoneuroimmunology suggests an interplay between social deficits (loneliness and isolation) and chronic inflammation, but the direction of these relationships remains unclear. We estimated the reciprocal associations of social deficits and social engagement with levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), compared the consistency of the findings depending on the biological sampling method used, and examined the modifying role of phenotypic and genotypic depression. We used longitudinal nationally representative data from the US (Health and Retirement Study, 3 waves, 2006–16) and England (English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, 4 waves, 2004–18). Loneliness, social isolation, and social engagement were self-reported. CRP was measured using dried blood spots (US) and venous blood samples (England). Cross-lagged panel models were fitted and tested interactions with phenotypic depression (above-threshold depressive symptom scores) and genotypic depression (polygenic score for major depressive disorder). We included 15,066 participants (mean age = 66.1 years, SD = 9.8) in the US and 10,290 (66.9 years, SD = 10.5) in England. We found reciprocal associations between loneliness and CRP using dried blood spots and venous blood samples. Higher CRP predicted higher subsequent loneliness and higher loneliness predicted elevated CRP. Both phenotypic and genotypic depression modified this reciprocal association. There were also reciprocal associations for social engagement in venous blood samples: higher CRP predicted lower social engagement and greater social engagement predicted lower subsequent CRP. Associations between social isolation and CRP were inconsistent and unidirectional. Loneliness may increase chronic inflammation, whereas social engagement may reduce inflammation. As these relationships were reciprocal, there may be a loop between inflammation, loneliness, and social engagement. This loop was stronger in those with depression or at high genetic risk for major depressive disorder. This relationship for loneliness was present in both blood sampling methods despite contrasting methods of CRP measurement, indicating that the finding is not attributable to measurement bias in biomarkers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arts engagement is a health-related behavior that may be influenced by social inequalities. While the COVID-19 pandemic provided new opportunities for some people to engage in the arts, it might have created barriers for others. We aimed to examine whether there was social patterning in home-based arts engagement during the pandemic in the United States, and whether predictors of engagement differed according to the type of arts activity. We included 4,731 adults who participated in the United States COVID-19 Social Study between April and July 2020. Three types of home-based arts engagement were considered: reading for pleasure, arts or crafts activities, and digital arts activities. Using logistic regression models, we tested cross-sectional associations between a broad range of demographic, socioeconomic, psychosocial, and health-related factors as well as adverse events and worries during lockdown and each type of arts engagement. The factors most strongly associated with all three types of arts engagement were social support, social network size, age, race/ethnicity, keyworker status, and experiencing physical or psychological abuse during the pandemic. However, most socioeconomic and health-related factors were not associated with arts engagement, including household income and mental and physical health problems. Overall, our findings indicate that the social gradient in arts engagement was reduced in the first 4 months of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Given the health benefits of arts engagement, the potential diversification of arts audiences during the pandemic is promising for both population-level health and wellbeing and the future of the arts and cultural sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is growing evidence for the impact of arts engagement on later life cognition. However, confounding by socioeconomic factors may have led to an overestimation of this association. We analyzed data from 4,344 older adults in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. We measured participatory (e.g. painting, making music, crafts) and receptive (e.g. concert, play, museum) arts engagement separately. Participants completed six neurocognitive tests measuring two distinct domains of cognitive function (episodic/working memory and executive function/language) concurrently and seven years later. We used inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) to remove confounding by a range of demographic and socioeconomic factors. Engaging in participatory or receptive arts for up to one hour per week (but not more frequently) was associated with better subsequent executive function/language. Similarly, engaging in receptive arts activities for up to three hours per week (but not more frequently) was associated with better subsequent episodic/working memory. These effects were of similar sizes to doing vigorous physical activity for up to one hour per week. However, our findings also highlight key methodological issues when exploring the relationship between arts engagement and cognition that should be considered in future studies, including measurement bias, life-course stage, length of follow-up, variation in outcomes, attrition, and missing data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescent externalising behaviours are associated with numerous long-term negative outcomes, although most research is intervention-based as opposed to risk reduction. Arts engagement has been associated with numerous beneficial factors linked to externalising behaviours, yet direct evidence linking them in longitudinal studies is lacking. Data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study were used, with baseline at 5th grade and outcomes measured at 8th grade. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression was used to examine individual-level associations between extracurricular and school-based arts engagement with externalising behaviours. OLS regression was also used to examine associations between school-level arts classes and facilities with an administrator-reported index of externalising behaviours in the school. All models were adjusted for sociodemographic factors. Individual-level analyses were clustered by school. At the individual level, engaging in a greater number of extracurricular arts activities was associated with fewer externalising behaviours, although there was no association for school-based arts engagement. There were no school-level associations between arts classes or adequate arts facilities and externalising behaviours. Our results suggest extracurricular arts activities may be beneficial in reducing the risk for externalising behaviours, but the relationship is seen at an individual-level of engagement rather than based on school-level provision or facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Although arts engagement holds promise for reducing loneliness and enhancing social support, previous research has focussed on older adults. We investigated whether arts engagement was associated with loneliness and social support during adolescence. Methods: We included 11,780 adolescents aged 11–21 years from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, a nationally representative cohort study. We measured whether adolescents engaged in school-based arts activities (band, book club, chorus, choir, cheerleading, dance, drama club, newspaper, orchestra) at wave one (1994–1995). Loneliness and perceived social support from peers were measured at waves one and two (1996). We used logistic regression to test whether arts engagement was associated with concurrent and subsequent loneliness and social support. Results: Arts engagement was not associated with concurrent or subsequent loneliness. Compared to not engaging, doing one or more school-based arts activities was associated with 59% higher odds of high social support concurrently (odds ratio [OR] = 1.59, 95% CI = 1.32–1.91). However, this cross-sectional association was attenuated after adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic, and health-related covariates (adjusted OR [AOR] = 1.16, 95% CI = 0.95–1.42). In contrast, doing arts activities was associated with 28% higher odds of reporting high social support one year later (AOR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.03–1.59), independent of covariates and previous social support. Conclusions: Extracurricular arts activities are associated with increased odds of reporting good subsequent social support from peers. This may be because they provide opportunities for social engagement, developing friendships, and building a sense of community. Exploring these associations in more detail should be a priority, enabling better understanding of this strategy for enhancing social ties during adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: There is a social gradient in both arts engagement and wellbeing that may have led to an overestimation of the impact of arts engagement on wellbeing. We tested whether participation in community arts groups was associated with wellbeing after removing confounding by demographic, socioeconomic, and health-related factors. Methods: Using propensity score matching, we analyzed data from 12,055 older adults in the Health and Retirement Study. We measured community arts groups participation and concurrent life satisfaction (evaluative wellbeing), positive and negative affect (experienced wellbeing), and purpose in life, constraints on personal control, and mastery (eudaimonic wellbeing). Results: After matching, arts group participation was associated with higher positive affect (average treatment effect on the treated [ATT] = 0.18, 95% CI = 0.12–0.24), life satisfaction (ATT = 0.09, 95% CI = 0.04–0.15), purpose in life (ATT = 0.07, 95% CI = 0.02–0.13), and mastery (ATT = 0.07, 95% CI = 0.01–0.14) than not participating. Participation was not associated with negative affect or constraints on personal control. In sensitivity analyses, these associations were maintained four years later. Conclusion: Arts group participation was associated with the positive elements of evaluative, experienced, and eudaimonic wellbeing. Facilitating participation in community arts groups could help to promote healthy aging, enabling a growing segment of the population to lead more fulfilling and satisfying lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: According to the cognitive neuropsychological model, antidepressants reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety by increasing positive relative to negative information processing. Most studies of whether antidepressants alter emotional processing use small samples of healthy individuals, which lead to low statistical power and selection bias and are difficult to generalise to clinical practice. We tested whether the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) sertraline altered recall of positive and negative information in a large randomised controlled trial (RCT) of patients with depressive symptoms recruited from primary care. Methods: The PANDA trial was a pragmatic multicentre double-blind RCT comparing sertraline with placebo. Memory for personality descriptors was tested at baseline and 2 and 6 weeks after randomisation using a computerised emotional categorisation task followed by a free recall. We measured the number of positive and negative words correctly recalled (hits). Poisson mixed models were used to analyse longitudinal associations between treatment allocation and hits. Results: A total of 576 participants (88% of those randomised) completed the recall task at 2 and 6 weeks. We found no evidence that positive or negative hits differed according to treatment allocation at 2 or 6 weeks (adjusted positive hits ratio = 0.97, 95% CI 0.90–1.05, p = 0.52; adjusted negative hits ratio = 0.99, 95% CI 0.90–1.08, p = 0.76). Conclusions: In the largest individual placebo-controlled trial of an antidepressant not funded by the pharmaceutical industry, we found no evidence that sertraline altered positive or negative recall early in treatment. These findings challenge some assumptions of the cognitive neuropsychological model of antidepressant action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arts and cultural engagement is a potential strategy for reducing or preventing reportedly antisocial or criminalized behaviors (those previously and problematically termed as "delinquent") in adolescence. However, most research to date has focused on arts-based interventions and has not tested arts and cultural engagement in large population-based longitudinal studies. This study investigated whether arts and cultural engagement reduced reportedly antisocial or criminalized behaviors in two large nationally representative cohorts, the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (n = 10,610; 50% female, 72% White, age range = 11–21 mean = 15.07) and the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (n = 15,214; 50% female, 73% White, age range = 13–16 mean = 14.38). Structural equation modelling also allowed exploration of two potential mechanisms that might link arts and cultural engagement to reportedly antisocial or criminalized behaviors (self-control and attitudes towards these behaviors). More arts and cultural engagement was associated with fewer reportedly antisocial or criminalized behaviors, better self-control scores, and fewer positive perceptions of reportedly antisocial or criminalized behaviors concurrently and one to two years later. Arts and cultural engagement may provide opportunities for adolescents to realize positive developmental outcomes, reducing their risk of reportedly antisocial or criminalized behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have shown reduced physical activity at early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there is a lack of investigation on longitudinal changes in physical activity beyond lockdowns and stay-at-home orders. Moreover, it is unclear if there is heterogeneity in physical activity growth trajectories. This study aimed to explore longitudinal patterns of physical activity and factors associated with them. Data were from the UCL COVID-19 Social Study. The analytical sample consisted of 35,915 adults in England who were followed up for 22 weeks from 24th March to 23rd August 2020. Data were analysed using growth mixture models. Our analyses identified six classes of growth trajectories, including three stable classes showing little change over time (62.4% in total), two classes showing decreasing physical activity (28.6%), and one class showing increasing physical activity over time (9%). A range of factors were found to be associated the class membership of physical activity trajectories, such as age, gender, education, income, employment status, and health. There is substantial heterogeneity in longitudinal changes in physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, a substantial proportion of our sample showed persistent physical inactivity or decreasing physical activity. Given the well-established link between physical activity and health, persistent or increased physical inactivity is likely to have both immediate and long-term implications for people's physical and mental health, as well as general wellbeing. More efforts are needed to promote physical activity during the pandemic and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Engaging in the arts is a health-related behavior that may be influenced by social inequalities. While it is generally accepted that there is a social gradient in traditional arts and cultural activities, such as attending classical music performances and museums, previous studies of arts engagement in the US have not adequately investigated whether similar demographic and socioeconomic factors are related to other forms of arts engagement.Methods: Using cross-sectional data from the General Social Survey (GSS) in the US, we examined which demographic, socioeconomic, residential, and health factors were associated with attendance at arts events, participation in arts activities, membership of creative groups, and being interested in (but not attending) arts events. We combined data from 1993 to 2016 in four analytical samples with a sample size of 8684 for arts events, 4372 for arts activities, 4268 for creative groups, and 2061 for interested non-attendees. Data were analysed using logistic regression.Results: More education was associated with increased levels of all types of arts engagement. Parental education demonstrated a similar association. Being female, compared to male, was also consistently associated with higher levels of engagement. Attendance at arts events was lower in participants with lower income and social class, poorer health, and those living in less urban areas. However, these factors were not associated with participation in arts activities or creative groups or being an interested non-attendee.Conclusions: Overall, we found evidence for a social gradient in attendance at arts events, which was not as pronounced in participation in arts activities or creative groups or interest in arts events. Given the many benefits of engagement in the arts for education, health, and wider welfare, our findings demonstrate the importance of identifying factors to reduce barriers to participation in the arts across all groups in society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is a sharp increase in depression in females in mid-adolescence, but we do not understand why. Cognitive theories suggest that people with depression have negative biases in recalling self-referential information. We tested whether recall biases were more negative in girls in early and mid-adolescence and were associated with depressive symptoms.Methods: 315 young and 263 mid-adolescents (11-12 and 13-15 years) completed a surprise test, assessing recall of social evaluation about the self (self-referential) or another person (other-referential). The short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire measured depressive symptoms. We tested the effects of condition (self-referential/other-referential), valence (positive/negative), gender, and age group on correct recall (hits) and associations with depressive symptoms.Results: There was no evidence for gender or age differences in positive or negative self-referential recall. Self-referential positive hits were negatively associated with depressive symptoms (adjusted coefficient=-0.38, 95% CI=-0.69-0.08, p=0.01). Self-referential negative hits were positively associated with depressive symptoms (adjusted coefficient=0.45, 95% CI=0.15-0.75, p=0.003), and this association was stronger in females (adjusted interaction p=0.04).Limitations: The reliability and validity of the recall task are unknown. We cannot provide evidence of a causal effect of recall on depressive symptoms in this cross-sectional study.Conclusions: Adolescents who recalled more self-referential negative and fewer self-referential positive words had more severe depressive symptoms. Females did not demonstrate more recall biases, but the association between self-referential negative hits and depressive symptoms was stronger in females. Negative self-referential recall may be a risk factor for depressive symptoms and is a good candidate for longitudinal studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives There is evidence to suggest that leisure engagement may influence self-perceptions of aging, but disentangling potential bidirectionality in this relationship is challenging. A better understanding of the directionality of this association is essential for designing more effective interventions to promote healthy aging. We, therefore, tested concurrent effects and lagged effects in both directions for a univariate measure of leisure engagement as well as specific domains of community, cognitive, creative, and physical activities. Methods A total of 17,753 adults aged 50 or above living in the United States from the Health and Retirement Study were included in the analysis. They provided 32,703 observations over 3 waves between 2008/2010 and 2016/2018. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling with both concurrent and lagged associations between self-perceptions of aging and leisure engagement, controlling for confounders including age, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic position, and health conditions. Results We found consistent evidence for leisure engagement as a predictor of self-perceptions of aging. There was also evidence for a reciprocal relationship where leisure engagement was predicted by older adults' self-perceptions of aging. Similar results were observed for specific domains of leisure engagement. Discussion Our findings provide empirical support for the potential benefits of leisure engagement on positive self-perceptions of aging, regardless of the type of activities. Our study also highlights the importance to consider the directionality in researching leisure engagement and self-perceptions of aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Cognitive theories suggest people with depression interpret self-referential social information negatively. However, it is unclear whether these biases precede or follow depression. We investigated whether facial expression recognition was associated with depressive symptoms cross-sectionally and longitudinally.Methods: Prospective cohort study of people who had visited UK primary care in the past year reporting depressive symptoms (n = 509). Depressive symptoms were measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) at four time-points, 2 weeks apart. A computerised task assessed happy and sad facial expression recognition at three time-points (n = 505 at time 1). The unbiased hit rate measured ability to recognise emotions accounting for any general tendency to identify the emotion when it was not present.Results: The sample included the full range of depressive symptom severity, with 45% meeting diagnostic criteria for depression. There was no evidence that happy or sad unbiased hit rates were associated with concurrent or subsequent depressive symptoms. There was weak evidence that, for every additional face incorrectly classified as happy, concurrent PHQ-9 scores reduced by 0.05 of a point (95% CI = -0.10 to 0.002, p = 0.06 after adjustment for confounders). This association was strongest for more ambiguous facial expressions (interaction term p<0.001).Limitations: This was an observational study with relatively short follow-up (6 weeks) and small changes in depressive symptoms and emotion recognition. Only 7% of invited patients consented to participate.Conclusions: Reduced misclassifications of ambiguous faces as happy could be a state marker of depression, but was not associated with subsequent depressive symptoms. Future research should focus on the interpretation of ambiguous social information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Loneliness is associated with poor health outcomes at all ages, including shorter life expectancy and greater risk of developing depression. People with mental health problems are particularly vulnerable to loneliness and, for those with anxiety or depression, loneliness is associated with poorer outcomes. Interventions which support people to utilise existing networks and access new social contact are advocated in policy but there is little evidence regarding their effectiveness. People with mental health problems have potential to benefit from interventions to reduce loneliness, but evidence is needed regarding their feasibility, acceptability and outcomes. An intervention to reduce loneliness for people with anxiety or depression treated in secondary mental health services was developed for this study, which will test the feasibility and acceptability of delivering and evaluating it through a randomised controlled trial.Methods: In this feasibility trial, 40 participants with anxiety or depression will be recruited through two secondary mental health services in London and randomised to an intervention (n = 30) or control group (n = 10). The control group will receive standard care and written information about local community resources. The coproduced intervention, developed in this study, includes up to ten sessions with a 'Community Navigator' over a 6-month period. Community Navigators will work with people individually to increase involvement in social activities, with the aim of reducing feelings of loneliness. Data will be collected at baseline and at 6-month follow-up - the end of the intervention period. The acceptability of the intervention and feasibility of participant recruitment and retention will be assessed. Potential primary and secondary outcomes for a future definitive trial will be completed to assess response and completeness, including measures of loneliness, depression and anxiety. Qualitative interviews with participants, staff and other stakeholders will explore experiences of Community Navigator support, the mechanisms by which it may have its effects and suggestions for improving the programme.Discussion: Our trial will provide preliminary evidence of the feasibility and acceptability of Community Navigator support and of trial procedures for testing this. The results will inform a future definitive randomised controlled trial of this intervention.Trial Registration: ISRCTN10771821 . Registered on 3 April 2017. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction is presented to the article "Arts and Cultural Engagement, Reportedly Antisocial or Criminalized Behaviors, and Potential Mediators in Two Longitudinal Cohorts of Adolescents" which appeared in the September 1, 2022 issue of the magazine.

Receptive cultural engagement (e.g. attending theaters and museums) can reduce depression in older adults. However, whether specific participatory leisure activities are associated with lower rates of depression remains unknown. We aimed to test whether engagement in a diverse range of leisure activities, all of which could involve artistic or creative elements, was associated with concurrent and subsequent depression. Using longitudinal data from 19,134 participants aged over 50 in the Health and Retirement Study, engagement in leisure activities was measured every four years, and depression every two years, between 2008 and 2016. Leisure activities included: reading books, magazines, or newspapers; writing; baking/cooking something special; making clothes, knitting, or embroidery (sewing); working on hobbies/projects; going to sport, social, or other clubs; and attending non-religious organization meetings. A score of three or more on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale indicated depression. We fitted population-averaged panel data models using generalized estimating equations with a logit link. Engaging in some leisure activities, such as clubs, hobbies/projects, and baking/cooking was associated with reduced depression, independent of confounders. Concurrently, spending time on hobbies/projects (monthly OR = 0.80, 95% CI = 0.72–0.88; weekly OR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.73–0.89) and clubs (monthly OR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.77–0.94; weekly OR = 0.78, 95% CI = 0.69–0.88) was associated with lower odds of depression versus not engaging. Longitudinally, the odds of depression two years later were reduced amongst people engaging in weekly baking/cooking (OR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.75–0.95), hobbies (OR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.71–0.92), and clubs (OR = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.71–0.94). Writing, reading, sewing, and attending non-religious organizations were not consistently associated with depression. Engagement in some leisure activities is associated with reduced odds of depression. We should consider how older adults can be supported to actively participate in leisure activities as health-promoting behaviors. • Some leisure activities associated with reduced odds of depression in older adults. • Going to sport, social, or other clubs most strongly associated with less depression. • Doing hobbies/projects and baking/cooking something special also associated. • No evidence that more artistic or creative activities were associated with depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Antidepressants have been proposed to act via their influence on emotional processing. We investigated the effect of discontinuing maintenance antidepressant treatment on positive and negative self-referential recall and the association between self-referential recall and risk of relapse. Methods: The ANTLER trial was a large (N = 478) pragmatic double-blind trial investigating the clinical effectiveness of long-term antidepressant treatment for preventing relapse in primary care patients. Participants were randomised to continue their maintenance antidepressants or discontinue via a taper to placebo. We analysed memory for positive and negative personality descriptors, assessed at baseline, 12- and 52-week follow-up. Results: The recall task was completed by 437 participants. There was no evidence of an effect of discontinuation on self-referential recall at 12 [positive recall ratio 1.00, 95% CI (0.90–1.11), p = 0.93; negative recall ratio 1.00 (0.87–1.14), p = 0.87] or 52 weeks [positive recall ratio 1.03 (0.91–1.17), p = 0.62; negative recall ratio 1.00 (0.86–1.15), p = 0.96; ratios larger than one indicate higher recall in the discontinuation group], and no evidence of an association between recall at baseline or 12 weeks and later relapse [baseline, positive hazard ratio (HR) 1.02 (0.93–1.12), p = 0.74; negative HR 1.01 (0.90–1.13), p = 0.87; 12 weeks, positive HR 0.99 (0.89–1.09), p = 0.81; negative HR 0.98 (0.84–1.14), p = 0.78; ratios larger than one indicate a higher frequency of relapse in those with higher recall]. Conclusions: We found no evidence that discontinuing long-term antidepressants altered self-referential recall or that self-referential recall was associated with risk of relapse. These findings suggest that self-referential recall is not a neuropsychological marker of antidepressant action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theories from anthropology, evolutionary psychology, and sociology have focused on the potential adaptive benefits of hobby engagement for mental health in older adults. However, previous studies have used data from single countries, potentially biased by specific measurement and methodological approaches, cohort effects, or cultural specificities. Whether there are genuine benefits for mental health in older adults cross-culturally remains unknown. This study explored the consistency of this association across 16 different nations. For this epidemiological study, we used data from adults aged 65 years or older across 16 countries in the USA, Europe, and Asia, represented in five longitudinal studies (ELSA, JAGES, HRS, SHARE and CHARLS; N=93 263, 45–62% female, mean age 72–76 years, data collected 2008–20). We harmonised measures of self-reported engagement in hobbies and past-times, depressive symptoms (validated scales), and Likert scale responses for self-reported health, happiness, and life satisfaction. We conducted fixed-effects models and longitudinal regression models of hobbies and mental health for each country and then pooled in multinational meta-analyses. We accounted for all time-constant factors including those unobserved (eg, genetics, past leisure behaviour, medical history, psychological traits) and identified time-varying factors (eg, sociodemographic background, clinical conditions, daily functioning). We tested the potential moderating effects of country-level determinants of health in meta-regressions and multilevel models. Meta-analytic fixed-effects findings showed that having a hobby was associated with fewer depressive symptoms (pooled coefficient –0·10, 95% CI –0·13 to –0·07, I 2=69·5%, H2=3·28), and higher levels of self-reported health (0·06, 0·03 to 0·08, I 2=48·1%, H2=1·93), happiness (0·09, 0·06 to 0·13, I 2=67·0%, H2=3·03), and life satisfaction (0·10, 0·08 to 0·12, I 2=33·6%, H2=1·51). Results were consistent in meta-analyses of longitudinal regression models testing directionality of findings. Macro-level factors such as life expectancy, world happiness index, country wealth, and income inequality predicted prevalence of hobby engagement, but they showed only marginal moderating effects on the association between hobbies and mental health. Despite some heterogeneity in measurement between the cohorts, the apparent universality of the health benefits of hobbies internationally suggests that facilitating greater opportunities for engagement across demographic groups and between countries could be an important part of multidisciplinary care. Findings have implications for social prescribing schemes (currently in trial in many countries) and multidisciplinary work on origins and human behavioural patterns of hobby engagement. National Endowment for the Arts, Wellcome Trust, Belgian Nnational Scientific Fund (FNRS). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Government enforced restrictions on movement during the COVID-19 pandemic are likely to have had profound impacts on the daily behaviours of many individuals, including physical activity (PA). Given the associations between PA and other health behaviours, changes in PA during the pandemic may have been detrimental for other health behaviours. This study aimed to evaluate whether changes in PA during and after the first national lockdown in the United Kingdom (UK) were associated with concurrent changes in alcohol consumption, sleep, nutrition quality, diet quantity and sedentary time. Data were derived from the UCL COVID-19 Social Study, in which 52,784 adults were followed weekly across 22 weeks of the pandemic from 23rd March to 23rd August 2020. Fixed effects regression models showed that greater PA was positively associated with improved sleep and nutrition quality. However, increases in PA also showed modest associations with increased alcohol consumption and sedentary time. Encouraging people to engage in PA may lead to wider changes in other health behaviours in times of adversity. These associations could be a result of increases in available leisure time for many people during COVID-19 restrictions and are of ongoing importance given the emerging long-term changes to lifestyle and working patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arts engagement is associated with prolonged longevity, but it remains unclear whether it is also associated with increases in the portion of people's lives for which they remain healthy. We investigated whether receptive and participatory arts engagement were associated with healthy aging two and four years later. We included 1269 older adults from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a longitudinal study of individuals aged 50 and above in the United States. Participants who completed the HRS 2014 Culture and the Arts Module and who were alive in 2016 and 2018 were eligible. We measured the number of participatory arts activities engaged in (e.g., crafts, dancing) and frequency of receptive arts engagement (e.g., going to a gallery or performance) in the past year. Healthy aging was a binary outcome, conceptualized as no major chronic diseases, no cognitive impairment, good physical functioning, and good mental health. In logistic regression models, doing receptive arts once a month or more was associated with higher odds of healthy aging four years later compared to never engaging (odds ratio [OR] = 1.80, 95% CI = 1.10, 2.96). However, this evidence was attenuated after adjusting for demographic and socioeconomic covariates (adjusted OR = 1.44, 95% CI = 0.84, 2.46). The number of participatory arts activities engaged in was not associated with healthy aging two or four years later. In sensitivity analyses, there was some evidence that receptive engagement was associated specifically with higher odds of good physical functioning four years later. The lack of consistent associations between receptive and participatory arts engagement and healthy aging was unexpected given previous evidence for links between arts engagement and each of the four domains of healthy aging. Our findings highlight key methodological issues that should be explored in further research with larger nationally representative samples, longer follow-ups, and more detailed measures of arts engagement. • Some evidence that receptive arts engagement supported healthy aging 4 years later • Association driven by higher odds of good physical functioning 4 years later • No evidence that participatory arts engagement was associated with healthy aging • Inconsistent evidence overall highlights methodological issues for further research [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In adolescence, there is a heightened propensity to take health risks such as smoking, drinking or driving too fast. Another facet of risk taking, social risk, has largely been neglected. A social risk can be defined as any decision or action that could lead to an individual being excluded by their peers, such as appearing different to one's friends. In the current study, we developed and validated a measure of concern for health and social risk for use in individuals of 11 years and over (N = 1399). Concerns for both health and social risk declined with age, challenging the commonly held stereotype that adolescents are less worried about engaging in risk behaviours, compared with adults. The rate of decline was steeper for social versus health risk behaviours, suggesting that adolescence is a period of heightened concern for social risk. We validated our measure against measures of rejection sensitivity, depression and risk-taking behaviour. Greater concern for social risk was associated with increased sensitivity to rejection and greater depressed mood, and this association was stronger for adolescents compared with adults. We conclude that social risks should be incorporated into future models of risk-taking behaviour, especially when they are pitted against health risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: There is growing evidence of significant harmful effects of loneliness. Relatively little work has focused on how best to reduce loneliness in people with mental health problems. We aim to present an overview of the current state of the art in loneliness interventions in people with mental health problems, identify relevant challenges, and highlight priorities for future research and implementation.Methods: A scoping review of the published and grey literature was conducted, as well as discussions with relevant experts, to propose a broad classification system for types of interventions targeting loneliness.Results: We categorised interventions as 'direct', targeting loneliness and related concepts in social relationships, and 'indirect' broader approaches to well-being that may impact on loneliness. We describe four broad groups of direct interventions: changing cognitions; social skills training and psychoeducation; supported socialisation or having a 'socially-focused supporter'; and 'wider community approaches'. The most promising emerging evidence appears to be in 'changing cognitions', but, as yet, no approaches have a robust evidence base. Challenges include who is best placed to offer the intervention, how to test such complex interventions, and the stigma surrounding loneliness.Conclusions: Development of clearly defined loneliness interventions, high-quality trials of effectiveness, and identifying which approaches work best for whom is required. Promising future approaches may include wider community initiatives and social prescribing. It is important to place loneliness and social relationships high on the wider public mental health and research agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]