Subjective wellbeing as a determinant of glycated hemoglobin in older adults: longitudinal findings from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

Abstract

BackgroundPrevious research has shown an association between subjective wellbeing and incident diabetes. Less is known about the role of wellbeing for subclinical disease trajectories as captured via glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c). We aimed to explore the association between subjective wellbeing and future HbA1c levels, and the role of sociodemographic, behavioral and clinical factors in this association.MethodsWe used data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing for this study (N = 2161). Subjective wellbeing (CASP-19) was measured at wave 2 and HbA1c was measured 8 years later at wave 6. Participants were free from diabetes at baseline. We conducted a series of analyses to examine the extent to which the association was accounted for by a range of sociodemographic, behavioral and clinical factors in linear regression models.ResultsModels showed that subjective wellbeing (CASP-19 total score) was inversely associated with HbA1c 8 years later after controlling for depressive symptoms, age, sex, and baseline HbA1c (B = −0.035, 95% CI −0.060 to –0.011, p = 0.005). Inclusion of sociodemographic variables and behavioral factors in models accounted for a large proportion (17.0% and 24.5%, respectively) of the relationship between wellbeing and later HbA1c; clinical risk factors explained a smaller proportion of the relationship (3.4%).ConclusionsPoorer subjective wellbeing is associated with greater HbA1c over 8 years of follow-up and this relationship can in part be explained by sociodemographic, behavioral and clinical factors among older adults.

Enjoyment of life predicts reduced type 2 diabetes incidence over 12 years of follow-up: findings from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

“…Similar results emerged across younger and older adults and for both sexes. These findings contradict the age- and sex-dependent results described in previous studies 5 19 20 and provide evidence for a more general, protective role for enjoyment of life. Inconsistent findings might be influenced by the precise measures of well-being, sample sizes 5 20 or cultural differences.…”

“…The maintenance of the significant association between enjoyment and T2D in secondary analysis adjusting for depression provides further evidence of the direct, independent association between hedonic well-being and T2D, in line with previous studies, 5 19 and lends support to the notion that hedonic well-being is not always secondary to the absence of psychological distress or negative affect. 9 Secondary analyses also tested for potential age or sex differences in the links between enjoyment and T2D and purpose and T2D.…”

“…It was hypothesised that higher enjoyment of life and a stronger sense of purpose in life would be associated with a reduced rate of T2D onset, and that these effects would be, at least in part, explained by sociodemographic, behavioural and clinical characteristics. Considering the findings from previous research which indicated that the effect of hedonic well-being is not secondary to the absence of depressed or negative affect, 5 8 19 we also hypothesised that these relationships would be robust to adjustment for depression. Finally, given the age- and sex-dependent findings reported in some of previous studies of different concepts of well-being and T2D, 5 19 20 we further explored whether age or sex moderate associations between subjective well-being and T2D.…”

Is more, better? Relationships of multiple psychological well-being facets with cardiometabolic disease.

“…More precise estimates might have been obtained with a less coarse measurement scale (e.g., exact date of diagnosis). Although numerous studies have used the CASP subscales to examine PWB’s relationship with health in older adults (e.g., Boehm et al, 2017; Panagi et al, 2020; Poole et al, 2020; Zaninotto et al, 2016), the CASP is not an exhaustive measure of all relevant PWB facets. As a result, key facets associated with health in past studies (e.g., optimism, purpose and meaning in life, and life satisfaction; Boehm et al, 2020; Kim et al, 2013) were not included in our study; future research should examine their potential additive effects on CMD risk.…”

Associations between Positive Psychological Well-Being, Psychological Distress, and Physical Activity among Adults with Diabetes

“…Finally, it is possible that PPWB, as measured by the CASP-19, is more precise at capturing PPWB among sub-clinical diabetes population. For instance, a recent study that measured PPWB using the CASP-19 found that PPWB was inversely linked with HbA1c eight years later among a group of people that did not have diabetes at baseline (Poole et al, 2020).…”