title: Greater age-related decline in markers of physical, mental and cognitive health among Israeli older adults exposed to lifetime cumulative adversity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This longitudinal investigation addressed whether and how lifetime cumulative adversity and depressive symptoms moderated age-related decline in markers of physical, mental, and cognitive health.
  
  
  METHODS
  1248 older adults (mean age = 62 at Wave 1) who completed the first two waves of the Israeli component of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE-Israel) reported on exposure to potentially traumatic life events, depressive symptoms, and three outcomes - disability, quality of life, and cognitive markers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Age was related to greater functional decline in outcome measures across the two waves (i.e., increase in disability and decrease in quality of life and cognitive functioning). This age-related decline became stronger as lifetime adversity increased. A three-way interaction showed that the greatest age-related functional decline in outcome measures was especially salient among those with high level of lifetime adversity and high level of depressive symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lifetime cumulative adversity is associated with a more noticeable process of age-related dysfunction across various markers of health. Although the majority of older adults are resilient to lifetime adversity, prevention and intervention programs should be aimed at mitigating the pronounced senescence observed when adversity accumulated to a large degree, and especially when it is accompanied with high level of distress.
authors: a Interdisciplinary Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences , Bar-Ilan University , Ramat Gan , Israel.
authors: Amit
authors: A
authors: Shrira
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology; D000367:Age Factors; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D008016:Life Change Events; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged
keywords: SHARE-Israel; depressive symptoms; potentially traumatic life events