title: Positive attitude toward life, emotional expression, self-rated health, and depressive symptoms among centenarians and near-centenarians.
abstract: Favorable attitudes, emotions, personality characteristics, and self-rated health have been associated with successful aging in late life. However, less is known regarding these constructs and their relationships to mental health outcomes in the oldest old persons. This study examined cross-sectional relationships of these psychological factors to depressive symptoms in centenarians and near-centenarians.
  
  
  
  A selected sample of Ashkenazi Jewish older adults aged 98-107 (n = 54, 78% female) without significant cognitive impairment participated. Cognitive function was assessed by Mini-Mental Status Examination, positive attitude toward life and emotional expression by the Personality Outlook Profile Scale (POPS), self-rated health by participants' subjective rating of their present health, and depressive symptoms by the Geriatric Depression Scale.
  
  
  
  Results demonstrated inverse associations of the positive attitude toward life domain of the POPS and self-rated health with participants' levels of depressive symptoms even after adjusting for the effects of history of medical illnesses, cognitive function, and demographic variables. Additionally, participants with high levels of care showed higher levels of depressive symptoms. Path analysis supported the partially mediating role of positive attitude toward life in the relationship between self-rated health and depressive symptoms.
  
  
  
  These findings emphasized the important roles of positive attitudes and emotions as well as self-rated health in mental health outcomes in the oldest old. Although, limited by its cross-sectional design, findings suggest these psychological factors may exert protective effects on mental health outcomes in advanced age.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychiatry, Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center/NYU Langone Medical School , New York University , Brooklyn , NY , USA.
authors.forename: Kaori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.affiliation: b Department of Psychology, Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology , Yeshiva University , Bronx , NY , USA.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zweig
authors.affiliation: c Department of Family and Social Medicine and Epidemiology and Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine , Yeshiva University , Bronx , NY , USA.
authors.forename: Clyde B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Schechter
authors.affiliation: d Department of Medicine and Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine , Yeshiva University , Bronx , NY , USA.
authors.forename: Nir
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Barzilai
authors.affiliation: d Department of Medicine and Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine , Yeshiva University , Bronx , NY , USA.|e Department of Biology and Human Biology , University of Haifa , Haifa , Israel.
authors.forename: Gil
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Atzmon
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology*; D019260:Expressed Emotion; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D057566:Self Report
keywords: depression; personality; positive attitude; self-rated health; successful aging