Ypsilanti, A., Robson, A., Lazuras, L. et al. (2 more authors) (2020) Self-disgust, loneliness and mental health outcomes in older adults: An eye-tracking study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 266. pp. 646-654. ISSN 0165-0327
Abstract
Background Self-disgust has been associated with loneliness and mental health difficulties in clinical and non-clinical populations, but there is limited research on the role of self-disgust in loneliness and mental health outcomes in older adults.
Methods In Study 1 (N = 102; M age = 68.4 years, SD = 10.9, 68% females) we used a cross-sectional survey to explore the association between loneliness, self-disgust and mental health outcomes. In Study 2 (N = 80; M age = 68.8 years, SD = 11.4, 57% females) we used eye-tracking to investigate attentional vigilance, maintenance and avoidance in individuals with high (Vs low) self-disgust.
Results In study 1 we found that self-disgust mediated the associations between loneliness and anxiety and depressive symptoms and in study 2 is was demonstrated that older adults with high (vs. low) self-disgust displayed attentional avoidance of their own faces, compared to the faces of unknown others, a process that may perpetuate loneliness.
Limitations The cross-sectional design used in Study 1, limits our potential to make causal inferences and both of our studies included a wide age range of older adults.
Conclusions Our findings are novel and highlight the importance of self-disgust experiences in the context of loneliness and mental health outcomes in older adults. Implications for practice and interventions against loneliness in this age group are discussed.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2020 Elsevier B.V. This is an author produced version of a paper subsequently published in Journal of Affective Disorders. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. Article available under the terms of the CC-BY-NC-ND licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). |
Keywords: | Loneliness; Self-disgust; Depression; Anxiety; Eye-tracking; Attentional avoidance |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health (Sheffield) > School of Health and Related Research (Sheffield) > ScHARR - Sheffield Centre for Health and Related Research The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > Department of Psychology (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 29 Jan 2020 13:18 |
Last Modified: | 07 Dec 2021 14:38 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.jad.2020.01.166 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:156179 |
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