Gambling in Older Adulthood: Longitudinal Associations Between Stressful Life Events, Individual, and Social Factors.

Older adults are receiving increased attention in gambling research, in part because gambling and related problems appear to be increasing in this population. To date, little or no research has examined the complexities of gambling and later-life circumstances, including life events, and individual and social factors. This study utilized longitudinal data (5 waves) from older adults (60 + ; N = 670) in the Quinte Longitudinal Study (Williams et al.

Examination of the Problem Gambling Severity Index for Use with Older Adults: A Rasch Model Approach.

Research and prevalence studies commonly use the nine-item Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI; Ferris and Wynne in The Canadian Problem Gambling Index, 2001) to measure problem gambling severity in older adults. However, the appropriateness of the PGSI for use with older adults must be evaluated to ensure accurate interpretation of scores. This study evaluated the PGSI with older adults that gamble using a Rasch model approach, which has not yet been examined in the literature.

Mindfulness-based Cognitive Group Therapy: Adaptation and Practical Recommendations for Virtual Delivery.

The novel SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic has hastened the adoption of virtual services, including telepsychology, to maintain services for clients with mental health concerns. While mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) for relapse prevention for many psychiatric disorders has been effectively adapted into an internet-delivered platform, there is little guidance provided in the literature on effective implementation of virtual group MBCT. This brief report provides guidelines for adapting group MBCT to synchronous virtual delivery via videoconference.

Social Isolation and Psychological Distress Among Older Adults Related to COVID-19: A Narrative Review of Remotely-Delivered Interventions and Recommendations.

The COVID-19 pandemic is associated with several short- and long-term negative impacts on the well-being of older adults. Physical distancing recommendations to reduce transmission of the SARS-CoV2-19 virus increase the risk of social isolation and loneliness, which are associated with negative outcomes including anxiety, depression, cognitive decline, and mortality. Taken together, social isolation and additional psychological impacts of the pandemic (e.

Does Caregiving Influence Planning for Future Aging?: A Mixed Methods Study Among Caregivers in Canada.

A mixed method design was used to examine how caregiving and transitioning a family member into long-term care (LTC) influence planning. Participants, aged 50+ from the community, completed self-report questionnaires. Quantitative data evaluated differences between three groups (non-caregivers, caregivers, caregivers with experience in assisting with a LTC transition); and predictive effects of caregiving, care expectations and social support to planning.

A socially-engaged lifestyle moderates the association between gait velocity and cognitive impairment.

Cognitive status has been linked to impaired gait velocity, and diminished social and physical engagement. To date, the potential moderating influence of lifestyle engagement on gait-cognitive status associations has not been systematically explored. The present investigation examines whether a socially- or physically-engaged lifestyle moderates the association between diminished gait velocity and likelihood of amnestic mild cognitive impairment (a-MCI) classification.

Exploring life-course patterns of substance abuse: a qualitative study.

Objectives: This research sought to examine how older adults with substance abuse issues understand the pattern of their use. Qualitative interviews explored: (1) Whether self-reported age of onset of substance abuse in fact aligned with the age when use became problematic; (2) Patterns of substance use over the life-course; (3) Precipitants of substance use throughout the lifespan; (4) Factors that prevented identification of problem use; (5) How participants came to recognize that their substance use was problematic.

Method: Participants were 11 men and 9 women aged 62-78 years ( = 69.