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Objective: To assess the association between receipt of minimally adequate treatment (MAT) and mortality in a sample of community primary care older adults with depression and anxiety. Method: The present study was conducted among a sample of 358 older adults (≥ 65 years old) with depression or an anxiety disorder recruited in primary care practices between 2011 and 2013. Participants agreed to link their health survey and administrative data for the 3 years preceding and following the baseline interview. Depression and anxiety disorders were based on self-reported symptoms aligned with DSM-5 criteria and physician diagnoses (International Classification of Diseases [ICD], 9th and 10th revisions). MAT was defined according to Canadian guidelines and include receipt of pharmacotherapy and ≥ 4 medical visits within 3 months or a number of psychotherapy sessions (individual, group, or family) over 12 months (depression: ≥8; anxiety disorders: ≥5 to 7). All-cause 3-year mortality was ascertained from the vital statistics death registry in Québec. Propensity score weighted regression analysis was conducted to assess the association between receipt of MAT and mortality adjusting for individual, clinical, and health system study factors. Results: Receipt of MAT was associated with a reduced risk of mortality (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.27; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.12 to 0.62). Individual and clinical factors associated with increased mortality included older age, male sex, being single, low functional status, and increased physical disorders and cognitive functioning. Lifestyle factors associated with reduced and increased mortality included alcohol consumption and smoking, respectively. Health system factors such as perceived adequate number of visits to speak to the doctor about emotional problems and continuity of care were associated with reduced mortality. Conclusion: The current study highlights the important role of primary care physicians in detecting and providing MAT for older adults with depression and anxiety, as this may have an effect on longevity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the individual and health system factors and health-related outcomes associated with perceived need for mental health care in older adults consulting in primary care.Method: This longitudinal cohort study was conducted among 771 cognitively intact older adults aged ≥65 years recruited in primary care practices in Quebec between 2011 and 2013 and followed 4 years later. Predisposing, enabling and need factors were based on Andersen's framework on help-seeking behaviors. Health-related outcomes included course of common mental disorders (CMDs), change in quality of life and societal costs. Perceived need for care (PNC) was categorized as no need, met and unmet need. Multinomial regression analyses were conducted to assess the association between study variables and PNC in the overall and the subsample of participants with a CMD at baseline.Results: As compared with individuals reporting no need, those with an unmet need were more likely to have cognitive decline and lower continuity of care; while those with a met need were more likely to report decreased health-related quality of life. As compared with individuals with an unmet need, those reporting a met need were more likely to report ≥ 3 physical diseases and an incident and persistent CMD, and less likely to show cognitive decline. In participants with a CMD, individuals reporting a met as compared with no need were more likely to be categorized as receiving minimally adequate care and a persistent CMD. Need for care was not associated with societal costs related to health service use.Conclusions: Overall, physicians should focus on individuals with cognitive impairment and lower continuity of care which was associated with unmet mental health need. Improved follow-up in these populations may improve health care needs and outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Benzodiazepines (BZD) should be limited in older adults. This study aimed to determine the association between BZD use and the presence of a probable post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSS) and whether this association is dependent on gender and co-morbid physical and mental conditions.Methods: Data were retained from the Étude sur la Santé des Aînés (ESA) - Services study (2011-2013) and included 1,453 older adults (≥65 years) who completed a face to face at-home interview, who were covered under Quebec's public drug insurance plan, and had given permission to access their Régie de l'Assurance Maladie du Québec (RAMQ) medical and pharmaceutical services data. The presence of a PTSS was measured using the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R). The use of BZD and antidepressants in the year prior to interview was ascertained from data reported in the RAMQ drug registry. The presence of depression and an anxiety disorder was assessed with the ESA-Questionnaire which was based on DSM-5 criteria. The interaction between PTSS and gender, depression, anxiety, and multi-morbidity was also assessed.Results: The prevalence of PTSS and BZD use reached 4.5% and 31.2%. Participants with PTSS were 1.9 (95% CI = 1.1-3.2) times more likely to use BZD. The presence of depression had a negative impact on the association between BZD use and PTSS (p = 0.04).Conclusion: The use of BZD in older adults with PTSS is still prevalent today. Differences in benzodiazepine prescribing practices for more complex co-morbid psychiatric cases needs to be further studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To document the reliability and construct validity of the Family Violence Scale (FVS) in the older adult population aged 65 years and older. Method: Data came from a cross-sectional survey, the Enquête sur la santé des aînés et I’utilisation des services de santé (ESA Services Study), conducted in 2011-2013 using a probabilistic sample of older adults waiting for medical services in primary care clinics (n = 1765). Family violence was defined as a latent variable, coming from a spouse and from children. Results: A model with 2 indicators of violence; that is, psychological and financial violence, and physical violence, adequately fitted the observed data. The reliability of the FVS was 0.95. According to our results, 16% of older adults reported experiencing some form of family violence in the past 12 months of their interview, and 3% reported a high level of family violence (FVS > 0.36). Our results showed that the victim’s sex was not associated with the degree of violence (β = 0.02). Flowever, the victim's age was associated with family violence (β = -0.12). Older adults, aged 75 years and older, reported less violence than those aged between 65 and 74 years. Conclusion: Our results lead us to conclude that family violence against older adults is common and warrants greater public health and political attention. General practitioners could play an active role in the detection of violence among older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]