title: Thought suppression is associated with psychological distress in homebound older adults.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Engaging in thought suppression as a coping mechanism has been associated with higher rates of anxiety and depressive disorders in younger adults. Homebound older adults are a population of elders experiencing poor health and high levels of depression and anxiety. It is unclear the extent to which psychological factors, such as thought suppression, are associated with distress, given that their health and disability status may be more salient. The aim of this study was to investigate thought suppression in relation to anxiety and depressive symptoms in homebound older adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants (N = 142) were clients of home-based case management services delivered by aging service agencies in Florida. Participants were administered a research interview that included the White Bear Suppression Inventory, Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Diagnosis (SCID), Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18), and Modified Mini-Mental Status Examination (3MS). Case managers provided standard assessments containing functional and health status of the participant.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After controlling for physical health and cognitive functioning, thought suppression was significantly associated with higher likelihood of clinically significant somatic, depressive, and anxiety symptoms on the BSI-18. Thought suppression was also associated with meeting criteria for a SCID depressive or adjustment disorder. Engaging in thought suppression was associated with worse mental health in this sample of homebound older adults even after taking into account physical health, disability, and cognitive functioning.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest the need to develop and test interventions that may address thought suppression as a coping mechanism.
authors.affiliation: San Diego State University/University of California, San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego, California, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Petkus
authors.forename: Amber
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gum
authors.forename: Julie Loebach
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Wetherell
mesh_terms: D000275:Adjustment Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida; D018577:Homebound Persons / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012094:Repression, Psychology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D013850:Thinking / Q000502:physiology*