Sexual Activity and Depressive Symptoms in Later Life: Insights from Jamaica.

: To explore relationships between sexual activity and depressive symptoms in urology and gynecology out-patients aged 50 years and older.: Depressive symptoms were assessed using Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale. Sexual activity was measured by interviewer-administered questionnaires assessing relationships, intimacy and sexual function (N = 557).

Socio-demographic, Health and Functional Status Correlates of Caregiver Burden Among Care Recipients Age 60 Years and Older in Jamaica.

The provision of care to older persons can impose significant burden on those providing care, burdens influenced by care recipient characteristic, caregiver attributes and availability of social support. This paper focuses on identifying relationships between caregiver burden and the socio-demographic, health and functional status attributes of care recipients age 60 years and older in Jamaica. A nationally representative cross-sectional study was done among persons providing non-institutional care for a single person 60 years and older.

Caregivers of Older Persons in Jamaica: Characteristics, Burden, and Associated Factors.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine and characterize caregiver burden among caregivers of community-dwelling older persons in Jamaica.

Method: A nationally representative cross-sectional study was done among persons providing noninstitutional care for a single person (≥60 years). The Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) and a structured questionnaire were administered to 180 caregivers from four geographic health regions.

Performance and Receiver Operating Characteristics of the Mini-Mental State Examination Instrument in Detecting Dementia in a Rapidly Aging Developing Country (Jamaica).

Objective: To examine the performance of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) in community-dwelling older persons in a developing country (Jamaica) undergoing rapid population aging.

Methods: An embedded validity study was conducted utilizing participants from a nationally representative sample of 2782 older persons. Standardized MMSE scores were obtained for study participants.

Predictors of Health Service Utilization Among Older Men in Jamaica.

Objectives: To determine the relative influence of sociodemographic, socioeconomic, psychosocial, and health variables on health service utilization in the last 12 months.

Methods: Data were analyzed for 1,412 men ≥60 years old from a 2012 nationally representative community-based survey in Jamaica. Associations between six health service utilization variables and several explanatory variables were explored.