Psychology - Collected Works

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Browsing Psychology - Collected Works by Author "Anstey, Kaarin Jane"
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    Cohort profile: the Dynamic Analyses to Optimize Ageing (DYNOPTA) project
    (Oxford University Press, 2009) Anstey, Kaarin Jane ; Byles, Julie E ; Luszcz, Mary Alice ; Mitchell, Paul ; Steel, David ; Booth, Heather ; Browning, Colette ; Butterworth, Peter ; Cumming, Robert G ; Healy, Judith ; Windsor, Timothy D ; Ross, Lesley ; Bartsch, Lauren ; Burns, Richard A ; Kiely, Kim ; Birrell, Carole L ; Broe, Gerald A ; Shaw, Jonathan ; Kendig, Hal
    Self-medication among the study respondents ranged from 18% to 36% between 1992 and 2004. The most frequent classes of complementary and alternative medicines were vitamins and minerals, herbal medicines and nutritional supplements, with younger individuals and women more likely to use them. For over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, the most commonly used were analgesics, laxatives and low-dose aspirin. Use of OTC medicines seemed to be done in accord with indications officially approved by the Australian medicine agency. Future work should examine risks associated with the concomitant use of complementary and alternative medicines, prescription and OTC medicines.
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    Longitudinal associations between activity and cognition vary by age, activity type, and cognitive domain
    (American Psychology Association, 2014-12) Bielak, Allison A M ; Gerstorf, Denis ; Anstey, Kaarin Jane ; Luszcz, Mary Alice
    The demonstration of correlated change is critical to understanding the relationship between activity engagement and cognitive functioning in older adulthood. Changes in activity have been shown to be related to changes in cognition, but little attention has been devoted to how this relationship may vary between specific activity types, cognitive domains, and age groups. Participants initially aged 65−98 years (M = 77.46 years) from the Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing (n = 1,321) completed measurements of activity (i.e., cognitive, group social, one-on-one social, and physical) and cognition (i.e., perceptual speed, and immediate and delayed episodic memory) at baseline, 2, 8, 11, and 15 years later. Bivariate latent growth curve models covarying for education, sex, and baseline age and medical conditions revealed multiple positive-level relations between activity and cognitive performance, but activity level was not related to later cognitive change. Change in perceptual speed over 15 years was positively associated with change in cognitive activity, and change in immediate episodic memory was positively associated with change in one-on-one social activity. Old-old adults showed a stronger change−change covariance for mentally stimulating activity in relation to perceptual speed than did young-old adults. The differentiation by activity type, cognitive domain, and age contributes to the growing evidence that there is variation in the way cognitive ability at different ages is related to activity.
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    A simple measure with complex determinants: investigation of the correlates of self-rated health in older men and women from three continents
    (BioMed Central Ltd., 2012-08-13) French, Davina J ; Browning, Colette ; Kendig, Hal ; Luszcz, Mary Alice ; Saito, Yasuhiko ; Sargent-Cox, Kerry ; Anstey, Kaarin Jane
    Self-rated health is commonly employed in research studies that seek to assess the health status of older individuals. Perceptions of health are, however, influenced by individual and societal level factors that may differ within and between countries. This study investigates levels of self-rated health (SRH) and correlates of SRH among older adults in Australia, United States of America (USA), Japan and South Korea. We conclude that when examining correlates of SRH, the similarities are greater than the differences between countries. There are however differences in levels of SRH which are not fully accounted for by the health correlates. Broad generalizations about styles of responding are not helpful for understanding these differences, which appear to be country- and possibly cohort-specific. When using SRH to characterize the health status of older people, it is important to consider earlier life experiences of cohorts as well as national and individual factors in later life. Further research is required to understand the complex societal influences on perceptions of health.