Steeling or Sensitizing? A Longitudinal Examination of How Ongoing Accumulation of Negative Life Events Affects Depressive Symptoms in Older Adults.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

To examine whether (a) as people age, accumulation of negative events increases ("sensitizing") or decreases ("steeling") the detrimental effects of subsequent events on depressive symptoms, and (b) how particular psychosocial factors are associated with the strength of these steeling or sensitizing effects.

Method

We used data from 6 measurement waves from 2,069 adults aged 55-84 (M = 68.0) at baseline in the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam, the Netherlands. We included 18 different life events across the life course. Using hybrid multilevel models, we tested whether the effects of proximate life events (<3 years) on depressive symptoms (measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale) were moderated by previous cumulative events (childhood u

SUBMITTER: Kok AAL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8599083 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature