Version 1
: Received: 15 August 2024 / Approved: 16 August 2024 / Online: 16 August 2024 (18:22:30 CEST)
How to cite:
Aichele, S. R. Predictors of Anxiety in Middle-Aged and Older European Adults: A Machine Learning Comparative Study. Preprints2024, 2024081255. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202408.1255.v1
Aichele, S. R. Predictors of Anxiety in Middle-Aged and Older European Adults: A Machine Learning Comparative Study. Preprints 2024, 2024081255. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202408.1255.v1
Aichele, S. R. Predictors of Anxiety in Middle-Aged and Older European Adults: A Machine Learning Comparative Study. Preprints2024, 2024081255. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202408.1255.v1
APA Style
Aichele, S. R. (2024). Predictors of Anxiety in Middle-Aged and Older European Adults: A Machine Learning Comparative Study. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202408.1255.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Aichele, S. R. 2024 "Predictors of Anxiety in Middle-Aged and Older European Adults: A Machine Learning Comparative Study" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202408.1255.v1
Abstract
Anxiety in older adults is a prevalent yet under-recognized condition associated with significant societal and individual burdens. This study used a machine learning approach to compare the relative importance of 57 risk and protective factors for anxiety symptoms in a population-representative sample of middle-aged and older European adults (N = 65,684; ages 45–103 years; 55.7% women; 15 countries represented). Results revealed loneliness and self-rated poor health as primary risk factors (Nagelkerke R2 = .272), with additional predictive contributions from country of residence, functional limitations, financial distress, and family care burden. Notably, follow-up analysis showed that none of 16 social network variables were associated with loneliness; rather, cohabitating with a partner/spouse was most strongly associated with reduced loneliness. Further research is needed to elucidate directional associations between loneliness and anxiety (both general and sub-types). These findings underscore the imperative of addressing loneliness for mitigating anxiety and related mental health conditions among aging populations.
Keywords
generalized anxiety, loneliness, social isolation, social network, cognition, population, aging
Subject
Social Sciences, Psychiatry and Mental Health
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
