Residents
of the Italian island of Sardinia are known for their longevity. Now, a new
study also shows that elderly Sardinians are less depressed and generally are
in a better mental frame of mind than peers living elsewhere. The study, led by
Maria Chiara Fastame and Maria Pietronilla Penna of the University of Cagliari
in Italy and Paul Hitchcott from the Southampton Solent University in UK, is
published in Springer’s journal Applied Research in Quality of Life.
Various
tests to measure the mental state and capacity of elderly people were performed
on 191 cognitively healthy native-born residents between the ages of 60 years
and 99 years old. They were recruited from the rural areas of Lombardy in
Northern Italy, from the Sardinian city of Sassari and the agro-pastoral
villages of Bargagia and Ogliastra on the Mediterranean island. These areas
were chosen because of the high prevalence of centenarians who live on the
isle. Fastame and colleagues showed in a previous study that residents from
Ogliastra enjoy greater levels of psychological well-being than those of
Lombardy. Her team now wanted to find out if depression among the elderly was
influenced by factors such as gender, marital status, age, lifestyle choices,
levels of brain functioning and the environment.
Findings
from the latest study highlight the effect that one’s region of residence has
on psychological well-being. It was noted that the Sardinian way of life trumps
all else, with older Sardinians being less depressed and experiencing higher
levels of personal satisfaction and coping strategies than is true for the
norm. In contrast, the elderly from Northern Italy struggled with depression.
These
findings are ascribed to the fact that elderly people from Sardinia, and
especially those from Ogliastra, are physically active until late in life and
feel more valued, respected and supported by younger generations. In turn, elderly
Sardinians living in Sassari benefit from higher levels of wealth and physical
health. They have mental health services nearby, and are involved in ongoing
social, recreational and cultural activities.
More
symptoms of depression were noted among women than men; and city dwellers
reported more symptoms of depression than those from rural areas. Also, very
old participants between 75 and 99 years old tended to be more depressed than
those between 65 and 74 years old.
The
researchers expressed worry about the marked signs of depression noted among
residents of Northern Italy. They advise that psychology-based intervention
programs be implemented to help strengthen the self-image and self-esteem of
the elderly living in these areas, to ultimately improve the quality of their
later life and to ward off feelings of depression.
“Positive
ageing is more evident in Sardinia, especially in rural areas, where the
maintenance of an adequate social status and physical activity help guarantee a
positive level of mental health in later life,” conclude Fastame and her
colleagues.
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