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Background: We examine precursors of child emotional distress during the COVID‐19 pandemic in a prospective intergenerational Australian cohort study. Methods: Parents (N = 549, 60% mothers) of 934 1–9‐year‐old children completed a COVID‐19 specific module in 2020 and/or 2021. Decades prior, a broad range of individual, relational and contextual factors were assessed during parents' own childhood, adolescence and young adulthood (7–8 to 27–28 years old; 1990–2010) and again when their children were 1 year old (2012–2019). Results: After controlling for pre‐pandemic socio‐emotional behaviour problems, COVID‐19 child emotional distress was associated with a range of pre‐pandemic parental life course factors including internalising difficulties, lower conscientiousness, social skills problems, poorer relational health and lower trust and tolerance. Additionally, in the postpartum period, pre‐pandemic parental internalising difficulties, lower parental warmth, lower cooperation and fewer behavioural competencies predicted child COVID‐19 emotional distress. Conclusions: Findings highlight the importance of taking a larger, intergenerational perspective to better equip young populations for future adversities. This involves not only investing in child, adolescent, and young adult emotional and relational health, but also in parents raising young families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives The relationship between nut intake and disability-free survival (healthy lifespan) in later life is unclear. The objective was to evaluate the association between nut intake and disability-free survival in a cohort of adults aged ≥70 years, and whether this varied according to overall diet quality. Methods This prospective cohort study involved 9916 participants from the ASPREE Longitudinal Study of Older Persons. Participants completed a 49-item Food Frequency questionnaire from which frequency of nut intake was obtained and were asked to categories usual intake as no/infrequent [never/rarely, 1–2 times/month], weekly [1–2 times/week, often 3–6 times/week] or daily [every day or several times a day]. The outcome measured was a composite of first-event mortality, onset of dementia, or persistent physical disability. Cox proportional hazards regression models, adjusted for socio-demographic factors, health-related and clinical covariates and overall dietary quality were conducted to examine the association between varying levels of nut intake and disability-free survival. Results Over a mean of 3.9 years of follow-up, the risk of reaching the DFS endpoint were 23% lower (HR 0.77 [0.61–0.98]) for those who consumed nuts daily, when compared to those with no/infrequent nut consumption. Subgroup analysis demonstrated a significant association between daily nut consumption and healthy lifespan among individuals in the second dietary quality tertile (HR 0.71[0.51–0.98]). Conclusion For community-dwelling adults aged 70 years and over with sub-optimal diets, daily nut consumption is associated with the promotion of healthy lifespan (disability-free survival). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Few studies have examined the impact of late-life depression trajectories on specific domains of cognitive function. This study aims to delineate how different depressive symptom trajectories specifically affect cognitive function in older adults. Design: Prospective longitudinal cohort study Setting: Australia and the United States of America Participants: In total, 11,035 community-dwelling older adults with a mean age of 75 years Measurements: Depressive trajectories were modelled from depressive symptoms according to annual Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale 10 (CES-D-10) surveys. Four trajectories of depressive symptoms were identified: low ("nondepressed"), consistently mild ("subthreshold depression"), consistently moderate ("persistent depression"), and initially low but increasing ("emerging depression"). Global cognition (Modified Mini-Mental State Examination [3MS]), verbal fluency (Controlled Oral Word Association Test [COWAT]), processing speed (Symbol Digit Modalities Test [SDMT]), episodic memory (Hopkins Verbal Learning Test – Revised [HVLT-R]), and a composite z-score were assessed over a subsequent median 2 years. Results: Subthreshold depression predicted impaired performance on the SDMT (Cohen's d −0.04) and composite score (−0.03); emerging depression predicted impaired performance on the SDMT (−0.13), HVLT-R (−0.09), 3 MS (−0.08) and composite score (−0.09); and persistent depression predicted impaired performance on the SDMT (−0.08), 3 MS (−0.11), and composite score (−0.09). Conclusions: Depressive symptoms are associated with later impaired processing speed. These effects are small. Diverse depression trajectories have different impacts on cognitive function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Maternal stress and trauma during pregnancy have been shown to influence cortisol levels and epigenetic patterns, including DNA methylation, in the offspring. This study aimed to determine whether a tailor‐made family intervention could help reduce cortisol levels in children born to traumatized mothers, and to determine whether it effected offspring DNA methylation. The secondary aim was to determine whether the family intervention influenced DNA methylation aging, a marker of biological aging. Methods: A needs‐based family intervention was designed to help address relational difficulties and family functioning, and included a focus on family strengths and problem‐solving patterns. Women survivors of sexual violence during the Kosovar war in 1998–1999, and their families (children with or without partners) were randomly assigned to 10 sessions of a family therapy over a 3–5‐month period, or to a waitlist control group. Both mothers and children completed assessments prior to and after the intervention phase. Children's blood samples collected at these two time points were used to measure cortisol and epigenome‐wide DNA methylation patterns (Illumina EPIC array). Cortisol levels, and genome‐wide DNA methylation changes pre‐/postintervention were compared between children in the intervention and the waitlist groups. DNA methylation age and accelerated biological aging were calculated. Results: Sixty‐two women–child dyads completed the study, 30 were assigned first to the intervention group, and 32 to the waitlist control group. In adjusted linear regression, the family intervention was associated with a significant decline in cortisol levels compared to the waitlist control (β = −124.72, 95% confidence interval [CI]: −197.4 to −52.1, p =.001). Children in the intervention group, compared to the waitlist control group, showed >1% differential methylation degree at 5819 CpG (5'—C—phosphate—G—3') sites across the genome (p <.01), with the largest methylation difference being 21%. However, none of these differences reached genome‐wide significant levels. There was no significant difference in DNA methylation aging between the two groups. Conclusion: We find evidence that a tailored family‐based intervention reduced stress levels in the children (based on cortisol levels), and modified DNA methylation levels at a number of sites across the genome. This study provides some preliminary evidence to suggest the potential for tailored interventions to help break the intergenerational transmission of trauma, however, large studies powered to detect associations at genome‐wide significant levels are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dietary patterns contribute to overall health and diseases of ageing but are understudied in older adults. As such, we first aimed to develop dietary indices to quantify Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS) utilisation and Ultra-processed Food (UPF) intake in a well-characterised cohort of relatively healthy community-dwelling older Australian adults. Second, we aimed to understand the relationship between these scores and the association of these scores with prevalent cardiometabolic disease and frailty. Our major findings are that in this population of older adults, (a) pre-frailty and frailty are associated with reduced MDS and increased UPF intake; (b) adherence to MDS eating patterns does not preclude relatively high intake of UPF (and vice versa); and (c) high utilisation of an MDS eating pattern does not prevent an increased risk of frailty with higher UPF intakes. As such, the Mediterranean Diet pattern should be encouraged in older adults to potentially reduce the risk of frailty, while the impact of UPF intake should be further explored given the convenience these foods provide to a population whose access to unprocessed food may be limited due to socioeconomic, health, and lifestyle factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION: Poor social connection is considered a risk factor for dementia. Since socializing behaviors may cluster together or act compensatorily, we aimed to investigate social connection patterns and their association with dementia, for men and women separately. METHODS: A total of 12,896 community‐dwelling older adults (mean ± SD age: 75.2 ± 4.3 years, 54% women) without major cognitive impairment were included. Latent class analysis was conducted using 24 baseline social connection indicators. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate the association between latent classes and incident dementia over 12 (median: 8.4) years follow‐up. RESULTS: Three distinct classes were identified in both genders: strong social connections with an intermediate friend‐relative network (Class 1: men, 43.8%; women, 37.9%), weak social connections (Class 2: men, 29.6%; women, 27.4%), and strong social connections with a larger friend‐relative network (Class 3: men, 26.6%; women, 34.7%). Compared to Class 1, men in Class 2 (HR: 1.38, 95% CI: 1.08‐1.77) and women in Class 3 (HR: 1.27, 95% CI: 1.01‐1.60) had an increased risk of dementia. DISCUSSION: Dementia risk varies with different social connection patterns among older men and women. Highlights: Three distinct social connection patterns were identified based on 24 indicators.These patterns were related to dementia risk differently in men and women.In men, a weak social connection pattern was associated with a higher dementia risk.In women, a strong social connection with a relatively larger friend‐relative network was associated with a greater dementia risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION: This study investigated whether epigenetic age acceleration (AA) is associated with the change in cognitive function and the risk of incident dementia over 9 years, separately in males and females. METHODS: Six epigenetic AA measures, including GrimAge, were estimated in baseline blood samples from 560 Australians aged ≥70 years (50.7% female). Cognitive assessments included global function, episodic memory, executive function, and psychomotor speed. Composite cognitive scores were also generated. Dementia (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders – IV [DSM‐IV] criteria) was adjudicated by international experts. RESULTS: Associations between epigenetic AA and cognitive performance over‐time varied by sex. In females only, GrimAA/Grim2AA was associated with worse delayed recall, composite cognition, and composite memory (adjusted‐beta ranged from –0.1372 to –0.2034). In males only, GrimAA/Grim2AA was associated with slower processing speed (adjusted‐beta, –0.3049) and increased dementia risk (adjusted hazard ratios [HRs], 1.78 and 2.00, respectively). DISCUSSION: Epigenetic AA is associated with cognitive deterioration in later life but with evidence of sex‐specific associations. Highlights: Epigenetic age acceleration was associated with cognitive deterioration over time.However, these associations differed by sex.In females, accelerated GrimAge appeared to be a better marker of decline in memory.In males, accelerated GrimAge was associated with slower processing speed over time.Association between accelerated GrimAge and dementia risk was found only in males. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women who have experienced conflict‐related sexual violence report significant long‐term effects, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and relationship difficulties. Research has demonstrated that maternal trauma is associated with children's behavioural difficulties and challenges in family functioning, such as impaired communication and harsh parenting. This pilot study is aimed at evaluating the preliminary effectiveness of family therapy for Kosovar mothers who experienced conflict‐related sexual violence in 1998–1999 and later developed PTSD and their children in improving family functioning and reducing behavioural difficulties in postwar times. Sixty‐four mothers were randomised to an intervention group or a waitlist control group. Data was collected during a screening phase, at baseline before intervention initiation, after the intervention group completed family therapy and once the waitlist control group received the intervention. Generalised linear mixed models were used to analyse group differences in family functioning and children's behaviours over time. At follow‐up, mothers in the intervention group reported improved family functioning. However, mothers in the waitlist control group reported significantly fewer behavioural difficulties than mothers in the intervention group before the control group had started family therapy. There was no significant interaction between group condition and time for child‐rated family functioning. Overall, this pilot study suggests that family therapy could be effective in reducing the effects of intergenerational trauma related to PTSD and conflict‐related sexual violence. Future research should evaluate the long‐term effects of family therapy to assess if immediate effects were maintained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]