The relationship between self-reported sensory impairments and psychosocial health in older adults: a 4-year follow-up study using the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

Abstract

Objectives: To explore cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships between self-reported hearing and vision impairments and self-rated health, quality of life (QoL) and depressive symptoms at 4-year follow-up.

Study design: The study involved cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses with 4-year follow-up using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.

Methods: Community-dwelling adults (n = 3931) aged ≥50 years from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing participated in this study. Self-reported hearing and vision were defined as good or poor. Self-rated health was treated as a dichotomous variable (good and poor health). QoL was based on the 19-item Critical Appraisal Skills Programme and treated as a continuous variable (score 0-57). Depressive symptoms were assessed using the eight-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D8) and defined as CES-D≥3. Relationships between sensory impairments and self-rated health and depressive symptoms were analysed using logistic regression. Linear regression was used to assess the relationships between sensory impairments and QoL.

Results: In cross-sectional analyses, both self-reported hearing and vision impairment were positively associated with all outcomes assessed. In longitudinal analyses, self-reported poor hearing and vision were associated with increased risks of poor self-rated health (hearing: odds ratio [OR] 1.65, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.32, 2.05; vision: OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.16, 2.12) and depressive symptoms (hearing: OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.07, 1.71; vision: OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.09, 1.90) after adjustment for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, chronic illness, mobility limitations and cognition. Poor hearing and poor vision were not associated with reduced QoL after adjustment for covariates.

Conclusions: The findings stress the importance of identifying and addressing sensory impairments in older adults to improve their health and well-being.

Keywords: Ageing; Depression; Hearing impairment; Quality of life; Self-rated health; Vision impairment.