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The Internet has become an important and preferred source of health information. Although the literature has highlighted several key predictors that influence an individual’s online health information seeking behavior, insufficient attention has been paid to the changes in the predictors’ roles and effects over time. This study explores and compares the effects that specific predictors had on online health information seeking behavior over a period of 10 years by integrating and analyzing two Pew datasets collected in 2002 and 2012. Hierarchical regression analyses indicate that socio-demographic factors and overall health condition are significant predictors that had an increasing impact on online health information seeking behavior. However, the impact of Internet usage decreased significantly from 2002 to 2012. A comparison across time contributes to a vertical understanding of the changes in online health information seeking behavior and its predictors and helps health professionals and researchers tailor their informational interventions to meet the up-to-date needs and preferences of users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depression is the most common mental and emotional disorder that emerges in the late stages of life. It is closely associated with poor health, disability, mortality, and suicide. The study examines the risk factors of depression in late life, especially the psychosocial factors, among a sample comprising 162 community-dwelling Singaporean adults aged 65 years and above. An interview-based structured survey was conducted in multiple senior activity centers located in different parts of Singapore. Results from the hierarchical regression analysis show that 32.9% of the variance in geriatric depression can be explained by the three psychosocial factors, among which loneliness, perceived social support, and the emotional regulation component of resilience are significantly associated with depression in older adults. Large-scale studies should be conducted to confirm the findings of the present study, and to further examine the predictive effects of these psychosocial factors on depression among older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exergames have been adopted as a new approach to promote healthy and active aging in recent years. This study aimed to understand the effects of exergames on emotional well-being (positive and negative affects) of older adults and further explore factors influencing the two types of affects after playing exergames. The study used a 2 (pre-test vs. post-test) × 3 (play alone vs. play with peers vs. play with youths) mixed factorial design with 319 Singaporean older adults with an average age of 73 years old over six weeks. Results of this study showed that playing exergames could lead to an increase in positive affect (M difference = 0.33, p <.001) and a decrease in negative affect (M difference = −0.19, p <.001) over time. Additionally, while there was no significant difference across play groups in changing positive affect over time, participants who played alone showed a greater decline in negative affect compared to those playing with peers and those playing with youths. Further, we found that after playing exergames for six weeks, attitude toward exergames is related to two types of affects and sociability can mediate such relationships. Lastly, implications and limitations of this study are discussed. • A 2 × 3 experiment with 319 Singaporean older adults over 6 weeks • Playing exergames increase positive affect and decrease negative affect over time • Playing exergames alone has greater decline in negative affect than playing with peers or youth • Sociability fully mediate the relationships between attitude and two types of emotions [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to examine the influencing mechanism of exercise platform effect on subthreshold depression among older adults by comparing exergames and traditional exercise., Method: One hundred and two Singaporean older adults were assigned to either playing Wii exergames or performing traditional exercise programs once a week, for six weeks., Results: Results confirmed a direct negative platform effect on subthreshold depression and further supported the mediation role of positive emotions in the platform effect. It implied that exergames led to higher positive emotions than traditional exercise, which further reduced the subthreshold depression among older adults. Self-efficacy was not supported to be a significant mediator in the relations between exercise platform and subthreshold depression., Conclusion: A better understanding of the mechanisms behind the antidepressant effects of exercise platform would not only provide additional insight into a possible causal association, but also inspire the future use of exergames in the treatment of subthreshold depression.

Social support and resilience were considered to be two significant influential factors for depression in late life. The study aims to present a mediation model for understanding the interrelations among social support, resilience, and geriatric depression. A cross-sectional survey study was conducted among 162 community-dwelling Chinese older adults in Singapore. Findings indicated a significant indirect effect of social support on geriatric depression through the mediation of resilience, by controlling demographic variables. Further, an identical influencing pattern between problem-solving resilience and emotion regulation resilience were found in the two individual models, suggesting a similar mediation role in linking social support and geriatric depression. These results extended and integrated earlier findings on the relationship of psychosocial factors and geriatric depression, and pointed out practical implications for future work on depression interventions., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)