Findings from University of Notre Dame Broaden Understanding of Geriatric Psychiatry (Occupational Determinants of Successful Aging in Older…

Health & Medicine Week

Findings from University of Notre Dame Broaden Understanding of Geriatric Psychiatry (Occupational Determinants of Successful Aging in Older Physicians)

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Health & Medicine Week -- Investigators publish new report on Psychiatry - Geriatric Psychiatry. According to news originating from Sydney, Australia, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, "Demographic, physical and psychological associations of successful aging (SA) have been evaluated, but occupational factors have not. Nor has SA been evaluated in a specific occupational group."

Financial support for this research came from Avant Mutual Group (see also Psychiatry - Geriatric Psychiatry).

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from the University of Notre Dame, "The aims of this study were to examine the occupational associations of SA in older physicians, and to explore the concept of occupational SA. Physicians aged 55+ years completed self-ratings of occupational and personal SA on a 10-point visual analogue scale (VAS; 1 being 'least successful' and 10 'most successful'). Associations between occupational and personal SA (defined as 8-10 on the VAS), respectively, and demographic and practice characteristics; health; social and financial resources; cognitive, emotional and motivational resources; work centrality; and anxiety about aging were examined. Rates of occupational SA (69.2%; 95% CI: 66.3-72.0) were significantly higher than personal SA (63.1%; 95% CI: 60.1-66.0) in the sample of 1,048 physicians. Occupational and personal SA were strongly positively correlated (r = 0.73, N = 1,041, p< 0.001). Personal SA was predicted by demographic (older age, female, international medical graduate, urban practice), physical (better self-rated health), psychological (less depression, better cognitive, emotional and motivational resources, and greater anxiety about aging), and occupational (higher work centrality, fewer practice adaptations and not intending to retire) factors. Occupational factors are central to physicians' self-conceptualization of SA. That greater work centrality, fewer work adaptations and less retirement planning were associated with personal SA suggests older physicians' sense of 'success' is intertwined with continuing practice."

According to the news editors, the research concluded: "There is a need for educating physicians to adapt to aging and retirement."

For more information on this research see: Occupational Determinants of Successful Aging in Older Physicians. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 2018;26(2):200-208. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry can be contacted at: Elsevier Science Inc, 360 Park Ave South, New York, NY 10010-1710, USA.

The news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained from C. Wijeratne, University of Notre Dame, Sydney Sch Med, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Additional authors for this research include C. Peisah, J. Earl and G. Luscombe.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2017.07.008. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

Keywords for this news article include: Sydney, Australia, Australia and New Zealand, Geriatric Psychiatry, Psychiatry, Psychological, Epidemiology, University of Notre Dame.