Age-Related Differences in Worry and Related Processes

Abstract

This study investigated the hypothesis that older adults would show age-related reductions in the tendency to worry in both their retrospective accounts and through cross-sectional age comparisons with a sample of younger adults. We also sought to determine whether age differences would be evident in psychological processes associated with a tendency to worry in general adult samples (intolerance of uncertainty and beliefs in the functional value of worry). Support was found for the hypothesized age-related reduction in worry in both retrospective reports among the older adults and cross-sectional age comparisons. Older adults were also found to report less intolerance of uncertainty and

A Structural Equation Modelling on the Factors Affecting Intolerance of Uncertainty and Worry Among a Select Group of Filipino Elderly

“…This finding runs parallel with the previous studies of Hewitt et al (2009);Krohne (1993); Dugas et al (1997); Lee et al (2010); and Nuevo et al (2009). According to Basevitz et al (2008), elderly people had less intolerance of uncertainty and less belief in the functional value of worrying compared to younger adults. These findings suggest that worry-proneness is reduced in late adulthood and that a greater ability to tolerate uncertainty in life and to see less value in worrying may partially account for this.…”

Psychometric properties of the GAD-Q-IV and DERS in older, community-dwelling GAD patients and controls

“…It may be more difficult for older adults to answer reverse-scored items on a self-report measure , making the simple format of the GAD-Q-IV attractive for use with older populations. Additionally, the GAD-Q-IV's equal attention to both somatic and cognitive symptoms is in line with research that suggests the need for a diagnostic tool that does not focus predominantly on somatic symptoms, reports of which may confound with the natural increase of symptoms related to medical illness in older adults (Wetherell & Gatz, 2005), or cognitive symptoms, some of which are of lesser frequency and severity in older adults (e.g., Basevitz et al, 2008;Mohlman & Gorman, 2005).…”

“…While older adults may have more difficulty than their younger counterparts coping with worry when it does occur (e.g., Felton & Revenson, 1987), they may be more likely to utilize effective coping strategies rather than worry in response to their own negative emotions. Similarly, older adults may simply experience reductions in the severity and frequency of negative emotions (e.g., Basevitz et al, 2008;Brenes, 2006;Mohlman & Gorman, 2005), which could then constrain scores on measures of emotion dysregulation.…”

“…In addition, socially relevant worry topics are predominant in younger but not older samples of individuals with GAD (Ladouceur, Freeston, Fourneir, Dugas, & Doucet, 2002). Additionally, research consistently suggests that older adults with GAD experience a reduction in worry frequency (Brenes, 2006;Basevitz, Pushkar, Chaikelson, Conway, & Dalton, 2008) and severity (Beck, Stanley, & Zebb, 1996a;Beck, Steer, & Brown, 1996b;Mohlman & Gorman, 2005;Stanley et al, 2003;Wetherell, Gatz, & Craske, 2003;Wetherell, Le Roux, & Gatz, 2003). However, findings suggest that older GAD patients utilize fewer coping strategies to control worry (Hunt, Wisocki, & Yanko, 2003) and those attempts to cope are less successful (e.g., Felton & Revenson, 1987).…”

Worry, emotion control, and anxiety control in older and young adults

“…Using the CEQ in addition to an interview might shed some light on what strategies older and young adults use to regulate and/or control their emotions related to their perception of control over emotions. Utilizing qualitative or mixed method approaches (e.g., Blanchard-Fields et al, 2004;Basevitz, Pushkar, Chaikelson, Conway, & Dalton, 2008) may provide more information about the strategies that older and young adults used to cope with worry and anxiety. For example, interview methods may capture strategies such as avoidance of situations in which older adults would experience negative emotions, which would not be captured by currently used self-report measures.…”