Successful Aging in Older US Veterans: Results From the 2019–2020 National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study

Pietrzak, Robert H.; Levy, Becca R.; Tsai, Jack; Southwick, Steven M.

doi:10.1016/j.jagp.2020.08.006

Cited by 20 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Some had already implemented these measures prior to the pandemic to manage chronic medical conditions or PTSD. Our findings about resilience are consistent with Pietrzak et al who conducted a national study in veterans focused on understanding the prevalence and correlates of successful aging using a multidimensional composite measure (Pietrzak et al, 2021). The authors found that physical and mental health difficulties explain 71% of the variance in this composite measure, and protective psychosocial factors (resilience purpose in life, positive expectations regarding emotional aging, and conscientiousness) explained 29% of the variance in successful aging.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Impacts of COVID-19 on Health and Healthcare for Rural Veterans in Home-Based Primary Care

Yee,

Echt,

Markland

et al. 2023

J Appl Gerontol

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This qualitative study explored the impact of COVID-19 on older rural-dwelling veterans and their caregivers enrolled in home-based primary care (HBPC) through the Birmingham VA Health Care System (BVAHCS). Phone interviews were conducted with 16 veterans and/or their caregivers and rapid qualitative analysis of interview notes was performed. Average age of veterans was 77 (range = 69–97) and 93.7% were white males. Despite a significant number of co-morbidities, 68.8% reported minimal adverse impacts of COVID-19 on overall physical and mental health. Like many healthcare teams, the inter-disciplinary VA HBPC team incorporated Telehealth during COVID-19. Telehealth utilization varied among the 16 participants, with 50% using telehealth independently, 37.5% needing assistance, and 12% lacking access. Our findings are consistent with prior research that identifies resilient characteristics as potentially protective in this high-risk older veteran population during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Impacts of COVID-19 on Health and Healthcare for Rural Veterans in Home-Based Primary Care

Yee,

Echt,

Markland

et al. 2023

J Appl Gerontol

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“…Further, among 2,565 older adults aged 65 years and above in Singapore, 25.4% showed healthy aging ( 60 ). In contrast, 3,100 veterans aged over 60 years in the United States reported a self-rated healthy aging of 79% ( 61 ). These differences can be explained by the varied definitions of healthy aging and population characteristics among the above-mentioned studies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Regional differences in the effects of healthy aging on depressive symptoms: a Korean longitudinal study of aging (2006–2020)

Kang,

Hwang,

Kim

et al. 2024

Front. Public Health

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BackgroundDepression is a widely prevalent, often recurrent condition. To analyze the regional differences in depressive symptoms over time, we investigated urban–rural differences in change in depression over time in South Korea and the association between healthy aging and depressive symptoms among middle-aged and older adults.MethodsData collected in the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging, from 2006 to 2020, of adult participants aged ≥45 years without depressive symptoms were analyzed. Healthy aging was defined under five principal components: absence of chronic disease, good physical function, normal cognitive function, active social engagement, and good psychological adaptation. Depressive symptoms were measured using the short version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Using the Andersen-Gill model for recurrent time-to-event, we examined the effect of healthy aging on depressive symptoms, with a subgroup analysis based on the residential area.ResultsOf the 7,708 participants, 78.2% lived in urban areas and 39.4% achieved healthy aging. In 2008, rural residents had a higher incidence of depressive symptoms (rural 11.8%; urban 8.9%); however, after 2016, the depressive symptoms of urban residents gradually increased (rural 6.4%; urban 12.1%). Unhealthy aging (adjusted hazard ratio = 3.04, 95% confidence interval: 2.72–3.39) and urban residence (adjusted hazard ratio = 1.15, 95% confidence interval: 1.06–1.24) were risk factors for depressive symptoms. The subgroup analysis revealed that individuals who did not achieve healthy aging had an increased risk of depressive symptoms, regardless of their residential area (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval]: urban, 3.13 [2.75–3.55]; rural 2.59 [2.05–3.28]).ConclusionAs urbanization accelerates, urban residents have a higher risk of depressive symptoms than rural residents. Healthy aging is an essential factor in reducing depressive symptoms. To achieve healthy aging, appropriate interventions and policies that target the middle-aged adults and gradually extend to older adults are needed, considering individual and regional factors.

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“…Data were analyzed from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study (NHRVS), which surveyed a nationally representative sample of 4,069 U.S. military veterans. Full details about the methodology can be found elsewhere (Pietrzak et al., 2021). Briefly, participants completed an anonymous, web‐based survey.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Employment status among US military veterans with a history of posttraumatic stress disorder: Results from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study

Fischer,

Schnurr,

Pietrzak

2023

Journal of Traumatic Stress

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The current study examined the prevalence and correlates of employment status in a nationally representative sample of U.S. military veterans with a probable lifetime history of posttraumatic stress disorder. Participants were 4,609 veterans from National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study (NHRVS) Bivariate analyses compared the employment status of veterans with regard to sociodemographic, military, health, and psychiatric characteristics. A multinomial regression analysis was conducted to determine the effect of lifetime PTSD status on employment and identify variables that differentiated employment status among veterans with a history of PTSD. In the total sample, 450 (weighted 12.5%) screened positive for lifetime PTSD. Veterans with PTSD were more than twice as likely to be unemployed, OR = 2.41, and retired, OR = 2.26, and nearly 4 times as likely to be disabled, OR = 3.84, relative to those without PTSD. Among veterans with PTSD, 203 (54.0%) were employed, 178 were retired (28.2%), 31 (7.3%) were unemployed, and 38 (10.5%) were disabled. Relative to employed veterans, retired veterans were older and reported more medical conditions; unemployed veterans were almost 5 times as likely to be female; disabled veterans reported lower income, more medical conditions, and more severe symptoms of current major depressive disorder but less severe symptoms of alcohol use disorder, ORs = 0.88–4.88. This study provides an up‐to‐date characterization of employment status in a nationally representative sample of U.S. military veterans with a history of PTSD. Results may inform efforts to provide sustainable employment in this segment of the population.

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Successful Aging in Older US Veterans: Results From the 2019–2020 National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study

Cited by 20 publications

References 9 publications

Impacts of COVID-19 on Health and Healthcare for Rural Veterans in Home-Based Primary Care

Impacts of COVID-19 on Health and Healthcare for Rural Veterans in Home-Based Primary Care

Regional differences in the effects of healthy aging on depressive symptoms: a Korean longitudinal study of aging (2006–2020)

Employment status among US military veterans with a history of posttraumatic stress disorder: Results from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study

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