Citation

Cook JM, Orvaschel H, Simco E, Hersen M, Joiner T. Psychol. Aging 2004; 19(3): 444-451.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. cook_j@mail.trc.upenn.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2004, American Psychological Association)

DOI

10.1037/0882-7974.19.3.444

PMID

15382995

Abstract

This study examined the tripartite model of depression and anxiety in 131 psychiatric outpatients, ages 55-87. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed that a 3-factor model provided an adequate fit to the observed data, that the 3-factor model was empirically superior to 1- or 2-factor models, and that the 3-factor structure obtained in the current sample of older adult outpatients converged with that obtained on a separate, younger 'sample. Negative affect was significantly related to depression and anxiety symptoms and syndromes, and positive affect was more highly related to depression than anxiety symptoms and syndromes. Ways for taking into account possible age-associated differences in emotion in older adults and thus improving the conceptual model of anxiety and depression are briefly noted.

Language: en