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Related Experiment Videos

Negative affect and mortality in older persons.

Robert S Wilson1, Julia L Bienias, Carlos F Mendes de Leon

  • 1Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center and Rush Institute for Healthy Aging, Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA. rwilson@rush.edu

American Journal of Epidemiology
|October 31, 2003
PubMed
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Negative affect, particularly internal distress like suppressed anger, increases mortality risk in older adults. Externally expressed anger showed no such association, highlighting the impact of inner emotional states on longevity.

Area of Science:

  • Gerontology
  • Psychology
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Negative affect is a potential risk factor for mortality.
  • Understanding the relationship between emotional states and longevity is crucial for public health.
  • Previous research has yielded mixed results on the impact of negative affect on mortality.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between different facets of negative affect and mortality risk in older adults.
  • To differentiate the impact of internally experienced versus externally directed negative affect on mortality.
  • To examine these relationships within a longitudinal cohort of Catholic clergy.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal cohort study (Religious Orders Study) of 851 older adults (mean age 75.4 years) without dementia.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Baseline assessment of depressive symptoms, anxiety, anger proneness, and anger expression.
  • Annual clinical evaluations for a mean of 4.7 years, with mortality as the outcome.
  • Proportional hazards models adjusted for multiple covariates (age, sex, cognitive function, physical health, lifestyle factors).

    • Main Results:

    • Internally experienced negative affect (depressive symptoms, suppressed anger) was significantly associated with increased mortality risk.
    • Externally directed negative affect (anger with others, overt anger expression) was not associated with mortality.
    • Individuals in the highest percentile of internally experienced negative affect had nearly double the mortality risk compared to those in the lowest percentile.

    Conclusions:

    • Internally experienced negative affect, including suppressed anger and depressive symptoms, is a significant predictor of increased mortality risk in older adults.
    • The way negative emotions are experienced and expressed (internal vs. external) differentially impacts mortality.
    • These findings underscore the importance of addressing psychological distress in promoting healthy aging and longevity.